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■4    . 


HISTORY 


OK  THK 


DISCOVERY  OF  THE  NORTHWEST 


BY 


JOHN  NICOLET 


IN"    103-4 


wrrit  A 


SKETCH    OE    HIS    I.IEI 


BV 


C.    W.    BUTTERFIELD 

Authoi    of    "CrawfofH's    Campaign    against    Sandusky,"    "History   of    Wisconsin 
In    Historical   Atlas   of  the   State,    "The   Washington-Crawford   Letters," 
"History  of  the  University  of  Wisconsin,"   etc. 


CINCINNATI 
ROBERT   CLARKE  &   CO. 

1881 


t-    A  ^  ^  \  72, 


'>i 


5 


Copyrighted,  ISSl, 
By  C.  W.  BUTTERFIELD. 


3 


'-^ 


Q, 


j^nEr'^A.cii:. 


1 


III  tlie  following  pages,  I  lijive  attempted  to  record,  in  a 
faithful  manner,  the  indomitable  i^erseverance  and  heroic 
bravery  displayed  by  John  Nicolct  in  an  exploration  which 
resulted  in  his  being  the  first  of  civilized  men  to  set  foot  upon 
any  portion  of  the  NorthMest ;  that  is,  upon  any  part  of  the 
territory  now  constituting  the  States  of  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illi- 
nois, Michigan,  and  Wisconsin.  It  is  shown  how  he  brought 
to  the  knowledge  of  the  Avorld  the  existence  of  a  "fresh-water 
sea  " — Lake  Michigan — beyond  and  to  the  westward  of  Lake 
Huron ;  how  he  visited  a  number  of  Indian  nations  before 
unheard  of;  how  he  penetrated  many  leagues  beyond  the  ut- 
most verge  of  previous  discoveries,  with  an  almost  reckless 
fortitude,  to  bind  distant  tribes  to  French  interests ;  and  how 
he  sought  to  find  an  ocean,  which,  it  was  believed,  was  not  a 
great  distance  Avestward  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  which 
would  prove  a  near  route  to  China  and  Japan. 

The  principal  sources  from  Avhich  I  have  drawn,  in  mv  in- 
vestigations  concerning  the  life  and  explorations  of  Nicolet, 
are  the  Jesuit  Relations.  So  nearly  contemporaneous  are  these 
publications  with  his  discoveries — especially  those  which  con- 
tain a  record  of  them — and  so  trustworthy  are  they  in  their 
recital  of  fiicts  connected  therewith,  that  ti^eir  value,  in  this 
connection,  can  hardly  be  over-estimated.     L  ich  one  of  the 

(Hi) 


IV 


PUEFACE. 


^SM: 


pcrios  liavinj;,^  a  inirticuliir  hoariug  upon  tlic  hsiibjcct  of  this 
narrative  lias  Ix'cn  studied  Avitli  a  eare  commensurate  ^vitll  its 
importance.  Other  accounts  of  the  same  period,  as  well  as 
of  a  somewliat  later  date,  together  Avith  the  researches  of 
modern  writers,  concerning  the  daring  Frenchman,  whose  name 
stands  first  on  the  list  of  the  explorers  of  the  Northwest, 
have,  likewise,  been  carefully  examined,  the  object  being,  if 
not  to  exhaust  all  known  s(nn-ces  of  information  illustrative 
of  these  discoveries,  at  least  to  profit  by  them.  Aid  has  been 
received,  in  addition,  from  several  living  authors,  especially 
from  Benjamin  Suite,  Esq.,  of  Ottawa,  Canada,  to  whom, 
and  to  all  others  who  have  extended  a  helping  hand,  I  return 
mv  sincere  thanks. 

c.  ^y.  B. 

Madison,  AVisconsin,  1881. 


* 


.■.:^H' 


CONTEISJTS. 


m 


.•ft 


TNTllODUCTIOX. 

PAGE, 

Prehistoric  Man  in  the  Northwest — The  Red  Race — First 

Discoveries  in  Xevv  France, 7 

CHAPTER  I. 
Events  Leading  to  Western  Exploration, 11 

CHAPTER  II. 
John  Nicolet,  the  Explorer, 26 

CHAPTER  III. 
Nicolet  Discovers  the  Northwest, 35 

CHAPTER   IV. 
Subsequent  Career  and  Death  of  Nicolet, 75 

Appendix,        93 

T-N-.-X 107 

(V) 


•# 


\ 


^J'S: 


1 


"m 


INTRODUCTION. 


PRE-HISTORIC  MAN  IN  THE   NORTHWEST — THE    RED    RACE- 
FIRST  DISCOVERIES  IN  NEW  FRANCE. 

Of  tlie  existence,  in  what  are  now  the  States  of 
Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois,  Michigan,  and  Wisconsin,  at 
a  remote  period,  of  a  race  superior  in  intelligence  to  the 
red  men  who  inhabited  this  region  when  first  seen  by 
a  European,  there  are  indubitable  evidences.  Who 
were  these  ancient  occupiers  of  tlie  territory  just 
mentioned — of  its  prairies  and  woodlands,  hills  and 
valleys?  There  are  no  traditions  of  their  power,  of 
their  labor,  or  of  tlieir  wisdom — no  record  of  their 
having  lived,  except  in  rapidly-decaying  relics.  They 
left  no  descendants  to  recount  their  daring  deeds. 
All  that  remain  of  them — the  so-called  Mound-Build- 
ers— are  mouldering  skeletons.  All  that  are  to  be 
seen  of  their  handicraft  are  perishing  earth-works  and 
rude  implements.  These  sum  up  the  "  types  and 
shadows"  of  the  pre-historic  age. 

There  is  nothing  to  connect  "the  dark  backward 
and  abysm  "  of  mound-building  times  with  those  of 
the  red  race  of  the  Northwest;  and  all  that  is  known 
of  the  latter  dating  earlier  than  their  first  discovery, 
is  exceedingly  dim  and  shadowy.  Upon  the  extended 
area  bounded  by  Lake  Superior  on  the  north,  Lake 
Michigan  on  the  east,  wide-spreading  praii-ies  on  the 
south,  and  the  Mississippi  river  on  the  west,  there  met 

(vii) 


VI II 


IXTIiODirCTIftX. 


and  DiiiiLii'led  two  distinct  Iiidiun  families — Alg'onquins 
and  Dakotas.  Coiicenrmg  (lie  various  tribes  of  these 
families,  ii()tliii)<j^  of  iiiniortaiicc  coidd  be  gleaned  l)y 
the  earliest  explorers;  at  least,  veiy  little  lias  ])eoii 
pi-eserved.  Tradition,  it  is  true,  pointed  to  the  Algoii- 
quins  as  liavinir,  at  some  remote  period,  migrated  from 
the  cast;  and  this  has  been  confirmed  by  a  study  of 
their  language.  It  indicated,  also,  that  the  Dakotas, 
at  a  time  far  beyond  the  memory  of  the  most  aged, 
came  from  the  west  or  southwest — fighting  their  way 
as  they  came;  that  one  of  their  tribes  ^  once  dwelt 
upon  the  shores  of  a  sea;  but  when  and  for  what 
purpose  they  left  their  home  none  could  relate. 

The  residue  of  the  Northwest  was  tlie  dwelling- 
place  of  Algon(piins  alone.  In  reality,  tlierefore, 
"the  territory  northwest  of  tlie  river  Ohio  "  has  no 
veritable  liistory  ante-dating  the  period  of  its  first  dis- 
covery by  civilized  man.  Portions  of  the  country  had 
been  heard  of,  it  is  true,  but  only  through  vague  re- 
ports of  savages.  There  were  no  accounts  at  all,  lie- 
sides  these,  of  the  extensive  region  of  the  uppei  lakes 
or  of  the  valley  of  the  Upper  Mississippi ;  while  noth- 
ing whatever  was  known  of  the  Ohio  or  of  parts  ad- 
jacent. 

The  first  of  the  discoveries  in  the  Xew  World  after 
that  of  Colundjus,  in  1402,  having  an  immediate 
bearing  upon  this  narrative,  was  that  of  John  Cabot, 
in  1497.  On  the  third  of  July,  of  tliat  year,  lie  saw 
what  is  now  believed  to  liave  been  the  coast  of  La- 


brador.    After  sailino:  a  short  dist 


ance  south,  lie  j.rob- 


ably  discovered  the  island  of  Newfoundland.     In  1498 


m 


*  Ancestors  of  the  present  Winnebagoes. 


INTUrtDIICTroN. 


IX 


his  son,  Sehastiiin,  explored  tlie  eontliicnt  IVom  Liihni- 
doi*  to  Virginia,  ami  possihly  a^^  i'ar  soutli  as  Florida. 
L,.;par  Cortereal,  ill  1500,  rcaehed  tlio  shore  seen  by 
.John  Cabot,  and  cxi.lored  it  Boveral  liiindred  miles. 
He  was  followed,  in  1524,  by  John  Yerrazzano,  who 
diseovered  the  North  Anieriean  coast  in,  probably,  the 
hititndo  of  what  is  now  Wilmington,  Xorth  Carolina. 
lie  continued  his  ex^tloration  to  the  northward  as  far 
as  Ncwlbundland.  To  the  region  visited  by  him,  lie 
fravc  tliG  name  of  New  France.  The  attention  of  the 
reader  is  now  directed  to  some  of  the  most  iini)ortant 
events,  in  the  country  thns  named,  which  followed,  for 
a  period  of  a  hundred  and  ten  years,  the  voyage  of 
Verrazzano. 


I 


r'.,„: 


■  >  ■"■'J 


h:isto]ry 


OF   THE 


DISCOVERY  OF  THE  NORTHWEST. 


CHAPTER  I. 


EVENTS    LEADING    TO    WESTERN    EXPLORATION. 

The  discovery  of  the  river  St.  Lawrence,  and  of  the 
great  lakes  whicli  pour  their  superabundant  waters 
through  it  into  the  gulf,  was  not  the  least  in  import- 
ance of  the  event?  which  signalized  the  opening  of  the 
historv  of  the  Ne\.'  World.  The  credit  of  havini?  first 
spread  a  sail  upon  the  majestic  stream  of  Canada,  and 
of  obtainins:  sucli  information  as  afterward  led  to  a 
knowledge  of  the  whole  of  its  valley,  belongs  to  James 
Cartier,  a  native  of  St.  Malo — a  port  in  the  north  of 
France.  Cartier  was  a  skillful  mariner.  On  the 
twentieth  of  April,  li'S-t,  he  sailed  from  his  native 
place,  under  orders  of  the  French  admiral,  for  the 
coast  of  IS'ewfoundland,  intent  on  exploring  unknown 
seas,  and  countries  washed  l)y  them.  He  took  with 
him  two  ships  of  fifty  to-.s  each,  and  in  twenty  days 
saw  the  large  island  lying  between  the  ocean  and  the 
river  he  was  soon  to  discover.  Favorable  winds  had 
wafted  him  and  his  hundred  and  twenty-two  sailors 

(II) 


12 


DI,SC()Vi;UV    OF    Till-:    XOKTIIU'EST. 


jiixl    udventurers   to    inliospituble  shores,    but    lit   an 
aiisj)icious  season  of  the  }'ear. 

Having  sailed  nearly  around  Newfoundland,  Cartier 
turned  to  the  south,  and,  crossing  the  gulf,  entered  a 
I'uy,  which  he  named  Des  Chaleurs,  because  of  the 
midsuinnier  heats.  A  little  farther  north  he  landed 
and  took  i>ossession  of  the  country  in  the  name  of  the 
French  king.  Jlis  vessels  were  now  at  anchor  in  the 
snudlcr  inlet  of  Gaspe.  Sailing  still  further  north,  Car- 
tier,  in  August,  discovered  the  river  St.  Lawrence.  He 
moved  up  its  channel  until  land  was  sighted  on  either 
side;  then,  being  unprepared  to  remain  through  the 
winter,  he  sailed  back  again  to  the  gulf,  crossed  the 
ocean,  and  moored  his  vessels  in  safety  in  St.  Malo. 
He  made  the  return  voyage  in  less  than  thirty  days. 
This  was,  at  that  period,  an  astonishing  achievement. 
The  success  of  the  ex[)edition  tilled  the  whole  of 
France  with  wonder.  In  less  than  five  months,  the 
Atlantic  had  been  crossed;  a  large  i-iver  discovered; 
a  new  country  added  to  the  dominions  of  France  ;  and 
the  ocean  recrossed.  All  this  luid  been  accomplished 
before  it  was  generally  known  that  an  expedition  had 
been  undertaken. 

The  remarkable  pleasantness  of  this  summer's  voy- 
age, the  narratives  of  Cartier  and  his  companions,  and 
the  importance  attached  to  their  discoveries,  aroused 
the  enthusiasm  of  the  French  ;  and,  as  might  be  ex- 
pected, a  new  expedition  was  planned.  Three  well- 
furnished  ships  were  provided  by  the  king.  Even 
some  of  the  noljility  volunteered  for  the  voyage.  All 
were  eager  to  cross  the  Atlantic.  On  the  nineteenth 
of  May,  1535,  the  squad roii  sailed.  But  Cartier  had 
not,  this   time,   a   pleasant  summer   cruise.     Storms 


EVENTS   LEADINd    TO   WKSTKUN    EXPLOll ATION.  13 


1^ 


"J- 


ragod.  Tlie  ships  sopjiratcd.  For  seven  weeks  they 
bivfteted  the  troubled  ocean.  Their  rendezvous  was 
the  Straits  of  Belle  Isle,  whieli  they  finally  reached; 
hut  the  omens  were  bad.  The  adventurers  had  con- 
fidently looked  for  pleasant  gales  and  a  quick  voyage, 
and  these  expectations  had  all  been  blasted.  Now, 
however,  they  arrived  within  sight  of  Xewfoundland, 
and  their  spirits  rose.  Carried  to  the  west  of  that 
island,  on  the  day  of  Saint  Lawrence,  tiiey  gave  the 
name  of  that  martyr  to  a  portion  of  the  gulf  which 
opened  before  them.  The  name  was  afterward  given 
to  the  whole  of  that  body  of  water  and  to  the  river  Car- 
tier  had  previously  discovered.  Sailing  to  the  north 
of  Anticosti,  they  ascended  tlie  St.  Lawrence,  reach- 
ing, in  September,  a  line  harbor  in  an  island  since 
called  Orleans. 

Leaving  his  two  largest  sliips  in  the  waters  of  the 
river  now  known  as  the  St.  Charles,  Cartier,  with  the 
smallest  and  two  open  boats,  ascended  the  St.  Law- 
rence until  a  considerable  Indian  village  was  reached, 
situated  on  an  island  called  Iloclielaga.  Standing 
upon  the  summit  of  a  hill,  on  this  island,  and  looking 
away  up  the  river,  the  commander  had  fond  imagin- 
ings of  future  glory  awaiting  his  countrymen  in  colo- 
nizing this  region.  "lie  called  the  hill  Mont-Heal, 
and  time,  that  has  transferred  the  name  of  the  island, 
is  realizing  his  visions;"  for  on  that  island  now  stands 
the  city  of  Montreal.  While  at  Ilochelaga,  Cartier 
gathered  some  indistinct  accounts  of  the  surround- 
ing country,  and  of  the  river  Ottawa  coming  down 
from  the  hills  of  the  Northwest.  Kejoining  his  ships, 
he  spent  the  winter  in  a  palisaded  fort  on  the  bank  of 
the    St.  Charles,  with  his  vessels  moored   before   it. 


14 


DISCOVKUY   OF    THE   NORTHWEST. 


TliG  cold  was  intense.  Many  of  his  men  died  of 
scurvy.  Early  in  the  spring-,  possession  was  again 
taken  of  tlie  country  in  the  name  of  the  French 
king;  and,  on  the  sixteentli  of  July,  158G,  the  Bre- 
ton mariner  dropped  anchor  in  St.  Malo — he  having 
returned  in  two  ships  ;  the  other  was  abandoned,  and 
three  iiundred  and  twelve  3'ears  after  was  discovered 
imbedded  in  mud.  France  was  disappointed.  Hopes 
liad  been  raised  too  high.  Fxi)ectations  had  not  been 
realized.  Further  explorations,  therefore,  were,  for 
the  time,  post.')oned. 

Notwithstanding  tlie  failure  of  Cartier's  second 
voyage,  the  great  valley  of  the  St.  Lawrence  was  not 
to  remain  very  long  unknown  to  the  world,  in  any  of 
its  parts.  It  was  thought  unworthy  a  gallant  nation 
to  abandon  the  enterprise;  and  one  more  trial  at  ex- 
ploration and  colonization  was  determined  upon. 
Again  the  bold  mariner  of  St.  Malo  started  for  tlie  St. 
Lawrence.  This  was  on  the  twenty-third  of  May, 
1541.  lie  took  with  him  five  ships  ;  but  he  went, 
unfortunately,  as  subordinate,  in  some  respects,  to 
John  Francis  de  la  Roque,  Lord  of  Koberval,  a  noble- 
man of  Picardy,  whom  the  king  of  France  had  ap- 
pointed viceroy  of  the  country  now  again  to  be  vis- 
ited. The  object  of  the  enterprise  was  declared  to  be 
discovery,  settlement,  and  the  conversion  of  the  In- 
dians. Cartier  was  the  first  to  sail.  Again  he  en- 
tered the  St.  Lawrence. 

After  erecting  a  fort  near  the  site  of  the  present 
city  of  Quebec,  Cartier  ascended  the  river  in  two  boats 
to  explore  the  rapids  above  the  island  of  Ilochelaga. 
He  then  returned  and  passed  the  winter  at  his  fort ; 
and,  in  the  spring,  not  having  heard  from  the  viceroy. 


m 


p^ 


EVKNTS    LEADIXii    TO    AVESTKKN    EXPLORATION. 


15 


'-v^ 


he  set  sail  for  France.  In  June,  1542,  in  the  harbor 
of  St.  John,  ho  met  tiie  Lord  of  lioherval,  outuard 
bound,  with  tiiree  ships  and  two  hundred  men.  Tlie 
viceroy  ordered  Cartier  to  return  to  the  S*^.  lawrence  ; 
but  tlie  mariner  of  St.  Malo  escaped  in  tlio  night,  and 
continued  his  voyage  homeward.  Koberva'  although 
abandoned  by  liis  subordinate,  once  more  set  saih 
After  wintering  in  the  St.  Lawrence,  lie,  too,  aban- 
doned the  country — irivintf  ])ack  his  immense  vice- 
royalty  to  the  rightful  owners. 

Li  1578,  there  were  three  hundred  and  fifty  fish- 
ing vessels  at  Xewfoundland  belonging  to  the  French, 
Spanish,  Portuguese,  and  Englisli ;  besides  these  were  a 
number — twenty  or  more — of  Biscaytni  whalers.  The 
Marquis  de  la  Roche,  a  Catholic  nobleman  of  Brit- 
tany, encouraged  by  Henry  IV.,  undertook  the  colo- 
nization  of  New  France,  in  1508.  But  the  ill-starred 
attempt  resulted  only  in  his  leaving  forty  convicts  to 
their  fate  on  Sable  island,  ofi"  the  coast  of  Nova 
Scotia.  Of  their  number,  twelve  only  were  found 
alive  fiv^e  years  subsequent  to  La  Roche's  voyage.  In 
1599,  another  expedition  was  resolved  on.  Tliis  was 
undertaken  by  Pontgrave,  a  merchant  of  St.  Malo,  and 
Chauviu,  a  captain  of  the  marine.  In  consideration 
of  a  monopoly  of  the  fur- trade,  granted  them  by  the 
king  of  France,  these  men  undertook  to  establish  a 
colony  of  five  hundred  persons  in  New  France.  At 
Tadoussac,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Sagucnay,  they  built 
a  cluster  of  wooden  huts  and  store-houses,  where  six- 
teen men  were  left  to  gather  furs;  these  either  d,ied 
or  were  scattered  among  the  Indians  before  the  return 
of  the  spring  of  IGOl.  Chauvin  made  a  second  voy- 
age to  Tadoussac,  but  failed  to  establish  a  permanent 


16 


DLSCOVERY    OF    THE    .XOUTDWEST. 


'4; 

i. 


scttlemont.     Durinc:  a  third  voyage  he  died,  and  his 
enterprise  perished  with  liini. 

In  ir;0;j,  a  eonii)uny  of  merchants  of  France  was 
formed,  and  Samuel  Cliamplain,  with  a  small  band 
of  adventurers,  dispatched,  in  two  small  vessels,  to 
make  a  preliminarv  survey  of  the  St.  Lawrence.  lie 
i-eached  the  valley  in  safety,  sailed  past  the  lofty 
promontory  on  which  Quebec  now  stands,  and  pro- 
ceeded onward  to  the  island  of  Tlochelaga,  Avhere  his 
vessels  where  anchored.  In  a  skiff,  Avith  a  few  In- 
dians, Cham})lain  vainly  endeavored  to  i)ass  the  rapids 
of  the  great  river.  The  l)afHed  explorer  returned  to 
Ids  ships.  From  the  savages,  he  gleaned  some  in- 
formation of  ulterior  rr.o-ions.  The  natives  drew  for 
liim  rude  plans  of  the  river  above,  and  its  lakes  and 
cataracts.  His  curiositv  was  inflamed,  and  he  resolved 
one  day  to  visit  the  country  so  full  of  natural  won- 
ders. Now,  however,  he  was  constrained  to  return 
to  France.  He  luid  accomplished  the  objects  of  his 
mission — tlie  nuiking  of  a  brief  exploration  of  the 
valley  of  the  chief  river  of  Canada. 

It  was  the  opinion  of  Champlain  that  on  the  banks 
of  the  St.  Lawrence  was  the  true  site  of  a  settlement ; 
that  here  a  fortified  i)ost  should  be  erected;  that 
thence,  by  following  up  the  waters  of  the  interior  re- 
gion to  their  sources,  a  western  route  might  be  traced 
to  China,  the  distance  beiuii:  estimated  ])V  him  at  not 
more  than  two  or  three  hundred  leagues  ;  and  that 
the  fur-trade  of  the  whole  countrv  mio;ht  be  secured 
to  France  by  the  erection  of  a  fort  at  some  point 
comnuindiuff  the  river.  These  views,  five  vears  sub- 
secjuent  to  his  visit  to  the  St.  Lawreuce,  induced  the 
fitting  out  of  a  second  ex})edition,  for  trade,  explora- 


EVENTS    LEADING    TO   WESTERN    I'.XPLOllATIOX. 


17 


tion,  and  colonization.  On  tlio  thirtcentli  of  April, 
1608,  Clunnplaiu  apiin  saiUnl — (his  time  witli  men, 
arms,  and  stores  for  a  colon  v.  Tiio  fur-trado  -was  in- 
trusted  to  anotlier.  Tlie  month  of  the  Saguenay  Avas 
reached  in  June  ;  and,  soon  after,  a  settlement  "was 
commenced  on  the  hrink  of  the  Bt.  Lawrence — the 
site  of  the  present  nnirket-place  of  the  lower  town 
of  Qnehee.  A  rigorous  winter  and  great  sutfering 
followed.  Supplies  arrived  in  the  spring,  and  Cham- 
plain  determined  to  enter  upon  his  long-meditated 
explorations ; — the  only  ohstacles  in  the  way  were  the 
savage  nations  lie  would  every-whero  meet.  lie 
would  be  compelled  to  resort  to  diplomacy — to  unite 
a  friendly  trihe  to  his  interests,  and,  thus  strength- 
ened, to  coufpier,  hy  force  of  arms,  the  hostile  one. 

The  tribes  of  the  Ilurons,  who  dwelt  on  the  lake 
which  now  bears  their  name,  and  their  allies,  the  Al- 
gonquins,  upon  the  Ottawa  and  the  St.  Lawrence, 
Champlain  learned,  were  at  war  with  the  Irocpiois,  or 
Five  Xations,  whose  homes  were  within  the  present 
State  of  Xew  York.  In  June,  1009,  he  advanced, 
with  sixty  Ilurons  and  Algonquins  and  two  white 
men,  up  what  is  now  known  jis  the  Richelieu  river  to 
the  discovery  of  the  first  of  the  great  lakes — the  one 
which  now  bears  his  name.  Upon  its  placid  waters, 
thi.s  courageous  band  was  stopped  by  a  war-party  of 
Iroquois.  On  shore,  the  contending  forces  met,  when 
a  few  discharges  of  an  arquebuse  sent  the  advancing 
enemy  in  wild  dismay  back  into  the  forest.  The  vic- 
tory was  complete.  Promptly  Champlain  returned 
to  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  his  allies  to  their  homes, 
not,  however,  until  the  latter  had  invited  the  former 
2 


18 


DISCOVKUY    OF    THK    NOllTHWKST. 


to  visit  tliclr  lowiii^  and  aid  tlicm  again  in  tlicir  wars. 
Charnplaiu  then  revisited  France,  but  the  year  1610 
ioHiid  him  once;  nioro  in  tho  St.  Lawvcnee,  -with  two 
ohjc'cts  in  view:  one,  to  jiroeeed  northward,  to  cx- 
\)]o\\)  Hudson's  hay;  tho  otlier,  to  go  westward,  and 
examine  tlie  great  lakes  and  tho  mines  of  copper'on 
their  shoi'es,  of  tho  existence  of  which  ho  liad  jnst 
hecn  informed  hy  tho  savages  ;  foi*  ho  was  determined 
lie  M'ould  never  cease  his  explorations  nntil  he  had 
penetrated  to  the  western  sea,  or  tliat  of  the  nortli, 
so  as  to  open  tho  way  to  China.  But,  after  fighting 
a  hattle  witli  the  Iroquois  at  the  month  of  the  river 
Tvichelieu,  lie  gave  up,  for  the  time,  all  thought  of 
further  exi)loration,  and  returned  to  France. 

On  the  thirteenth  of  May,  IGll,  Chaniplain  again 
arrived  in  the  St.  Lawrence.  To  secure  the  advan- 
tages of  the  fur- trade  to  his  superiors  was  now  his 
principal  object ;  and,  to  that  end,  he  chose  the  site 
of  the  present  city  of  Montreal  for  a  post,  Avliich  he 
called  Place  Kovale.  Soon  afterward,  he  returned  to 
France  ;  hut,  early  in  the  spring  of  1613,  the  tireless 
voyager  again  crossed  the  Atlantic,  and  sailed  np  the 
St.  Lawrence  ;  this  time  bound  for  the  Ottawa  to  dis- 
cover the  North  sea.  After  making  his  way  up  that 
river  to  the  home  of  the  Algonquins  of  Lsle  des 
Allumettes,  he  returned  in  disgust  to  the  St.  Lawrence, 
and  again  embarked  for  France. 

At  the  site  of  the  present  city  of  Montreal,  there 
had  assembled,  in  the  summer  of  1615,  lEurons  from 
their  distant  villages  upon  the  shores  of  their  great 
lake,  and  Algonrpiins  from  their  homes  on  the  Ot- 
tawa— come  down  to  a  yearly  trade  with  the  French 
upon   the   St.  Lawrence.     Chaniplain,  who   had   re- 


.1 


'I 


EVENTS    LEADIX<J    TO    WESTERN    EXPLORATION.  IH 

turned  in  May  from  France,  was  asked  1)y  the  assem- 
l)U'dsavag-cst()jointheirl)ands against tlie Iroquois.  lie 
consented;  l)iit,  while  absent  at  Quehee,  making  need- 
ful preparations,  the  savages  became  imi>atient,  and 
departed  for  their  liomes.  With  them  went  J^^ither 
Joseph  le  Caron,  a  Kccollet,  accompanied  hy  twelve 
armed  Frenclimen.  It  was  tlie  intention  of  this  mis- 
sionary to  learn  the  language  of  the  Ilurons,  and  la- 
bor for  their  spiritual  welfare.  Ilis  departure  fi-om 
the  St.  Lawrence  was  on  the  first  day  of  July.  ^N^ine 
days  afterward,  Champlain,  with  two  Frenchmen  and 
ten  Indians  followed  him.  Both  parties  traveled  up 
the  Ottawa  to  the  Algonquin  villages  ;  passed  the  two 
lakes  of  the  Allumettes  ;  threaded  their  way  to  a 
well-trodden  portage,  crossing  which  brought  them 
to  Lake  Xipissing;  thence,  they  floated  westward 
down  the  current  of  French  river,  to  what  is  now 
known  as  Georgian  bay  ;  afterward,  for  more  than  a 
hundred  miles,  they  journeyed  southward  along  the 
eastern  shores  of  that  bay  to  its  head ;  and  there  was 
the  home  of  the  Ilurons. 

Champlain,  with  a  naked  host  of  allies,  was  soon 
on  the  march  against  the  Iroquois  from  the  Huron 
villages,  moving  down  the  river  Trent,  as  since 
named,  to  its  mouth,  when  his  eyes  were  gladdened 
with  the  view  of  another  of  the  fresh  water  seas — 
Lake  Ontario.  Boldly  they  cror.sed  its  broad  ex- 
panse, meeting  the  enemy  at  a  considerable  distance 
inland  from  its  southern  shores.  Defensive  works  of 
the  Iroquois  defied  the  assaults  of  the  beseigers.  The 
Huron  warriors  returned  in  disgust  to  their  homes, 
taking  Champlain  with  them.  He  was  compelled  to 
spend  the  winter  as  the  guest  of  these  savages,  re- 


2(1 


DI.SCOVIMIV    or    TI[K    NOUTHWKST. 


■t 


turniiia:  to  tho  St.  Ljiwroiico  by  wiiy  of  tlio  Ottawa, 
and  rc'a('irni<i:  (^lu-lu'c  oii  tlio  oK'Vt'iith  of  'Mily,  1(U(). 
lie  liad  si'i'ii  c'liouii-li  of  11k'  ri'g-ioii  tnivorsi'dLy  liiiu  to 
know  that  tliorc  Avas  an  inmu-nsc  country  lyini>- to  tlio 
westward  ready  to  l»e  ij:iven  to  liis  kini;-  tlio  moment 
lie  should  he  ahle  to  explore  and  make  it  known. 
Father  le  Caron,  who  had  preeoded  Champlain  on 
his  outward  trip  to  the  Huron  villa^ues,  also  preceded 
him  on  his  return  ;  hut  he  remained  lons^  enough 
with  those  Indians  to  ohtain  a  eonsiderahle  knowl- 
edge of  their  language  and  of  their  manners  and  cus- 
toms. 

Quel)ee,  at  this  period,  could  hardly  ho  called  a 
settlement.  It  contained  a  ito[)ulatioii  of  fur-traders 
and  friars  of  iifty  or  sixty  ]»ersons.  It  had  a  fort,  and 
Cham[>lain  was  the  nominal  commander.  In  the  in- 
terest of  the  infant  colony  he  Avent  every  year  to 
France.  His  was  the  duty  to  regulate  the  monopoly 
of  the  com[)any  of  merchants  in  their  trade  with  the 
Indians.  In  the  summer  of  1G22,  the  Iro(piois  heset 
the  settlement,  hut  nuide  no  actual  attack.  A  change 
was  now  at  hand  in  the  aft'airs  of  Xew  France.  Two 
Huguenots,  William  and  fimery  de  Caen,  had  taken 
the  place  of  the  old  company  of  St.  Malo  and  Rouen, 
but  were  afterward  compelled  to  sbare  their  monopoly 
with  them.  Fresh  troubles  were  thus  introduced 
into  the  infant  colony,  not  only  in  religious  affairs, 
but  in  secular  matters.  The  RecoUets  bad  previously 
established  4ivc  missions,  extending  from  Acadia  to 
the  borders  of  Lake  Huron.  Xow,  three  Jesuits — 
among  their  number  John  de  Brebcuf — arrived  in  the 
colony,  and  began  their  spiritual  labors.  This  was  in 
1625.    When  the  year  1627  was  reached,  the  settle- 


.% 


,'» 


KVKNTS    ].i:AI>IX(i    TO    WIISTEIIN    KXPLOllATKtX. 


21 


mont  at  Qiu>1)ec  liad  a  ]iopnljitinu  of  alxiut  one  hun- 
dred jxTsoiis — moll,  women,  ami  elilldi'en.  '^^flie  eliief 
trading  stations  upon  tlio  St.  Lawrence  ^^•v\\'  Quebec, 
Three  Tilvers,  the  liapids  of  St.  Louis,  and  Ta(h)ussac. 
Turniu":  our  eves  to  tlio  western  wilds,  avo  sec  that 
tlio  ILirons,  after  the  return  of  Lo  Caron,  were  not 
a<5^ain  visited  hy  missionaries  until  1G22. 

In  the  year  1027,  the  destinies  of  Franco  were  lield 
by  Cardinal  l\ichelieu  as  in  the  liollow  of  liis  liand. 
lie  had  constituted  liimself  grand  master  and  super- 
intendent of  uavigation  and  commerce.  By  him  the 
privileges  of  the  Caens  were  annulled,  and  a  com- 
pany formed,  consisting  of  a  liundr(>d  associates,' 
called  the  (\)mpany  of  Kew  France.  At  its  head 
was  Ivichelieu  liimself.  Louis  the  Thirteenth  made 
over  to  this  company  forever  the  fort  ;ind  Hettlement 
at  Quebec,  and  all  the  territory  of  Xew  ]'"' ranee,  in- 
cluding Florida.  To  them  was  given  power  to  ap- 
point judges,  build  fortresses,  cast  cannon,  confer 
titles,  Jiiid  concede  lands.  They  were  to  govern  in 
peace  and  in  war.  Their  monopoly  of  the  fur-trade 
was  made  perpetual  ;  Avhilo  that  of  all  other  com- 
merce within  the  limits  of  their  government  was 
limited  to  fifteen  years,  except  that  the  whale- 
fishery  and  the  cod-fishery  w^ere  to  remain  open  to 
all.  They  could  take  whatever  steps  they  might 
think  expedient  or  proper  for  the  protection  of  the 
colony  and  the  fostering  of  trade.  It  will  thus  be 
seen  that  the  Hundred  Associates  h;id  conferred  upon 
them  almost  sovereign  power.  For  fifteen  years 
their  commerce  was  not  to  ])e  troubled  with  duties  or 
imposts.  Partners,  whether  nobles,  oilicors,  or  ec- 
clesiastics,  might    engage    in    commercial    pursuits 


1 


1 


i)is('(»vi:i{V  <ti'  Tin;  noktiiwkst. 


Ill 


li 


witliout  (l('r()ii;jitiii_<j^  from  tlio  ])rivil('H;('s  of  tliclr  or- 
der. To  iill  llu'so  bcncnts  tlio  king  added  a  donation 
of  two  hIiIjks  of  ^\^i\v.  Of  lliis  |»(>worful  association, 
Cliuni[>liiin  was  oiu;  of  i]\o.  nicnilx-rs. 

In  return  for  tlicso  }M'i\il('g('S  conforrod,  Ixdiold 
liow  little  tlioso  linndrc'd  jKirtners  were  compelled  to 
jierforni.  Tliey  cnga^'ed  to  convoy  to  Xe\v  France, 
diirinir  in2S,  two  or  tlii'eo  linndi'ed  men  of  all  tra<les, 
and  Ix'foro  111  year  ]()4o  to  increase  tlio  mnnber  to 
fonr  thousaii'i  persons  of  l)otli  sexes;  to  snp^tly  all 
their  settlers  Avitli  lodging,  food,  clothing,  and  farm 
implements,  for  three  years;  then  they  wonld  allow 
them  snfHcient  land  to  su[)port  themselves,  cleared  to 
a  certain  extent;  and  wonld  also  fnrnisli  them  the 
grain  necessary  for  sowing  it;  stipnlating,  also,  tlnit 
the  emigrants  should  he  native  Frenchmen  and  llo- 
nuin  Catholics,  and  none  others;  and,  finally,  agree- 
ing to  Settle  three  priests  in  each  settlement,  whom 
thev  Avere  hound  to  in'ovide  with  every  article  neces- 

t/  X  », 

sary  for  their  personal  comfort,  and  to  defray  the  ex- 
penses of  their  ministerial  lahors  for  fifteen  years. 
After  the  expiration  of  that  time,  cleared  lands  were 
to  he  granted  hy  the  company  to  the  clergy  for  main- 
taining the  Ivoman  Catholic  Church  in  ISTew  France. 
It  was  thus  that  the  Hundred  Associates  hecamo  pro- 
prietors of  the  whole  country  claimed  hy  France, 
from  Florida  to  the  Arctic  Circle;  from  Kewfound- 
land.  to  the  sources  of  the  St.  Lawrence  and  its  trih- 
utaries.  ^leanwhile,  the  fur-trado  had  hronirht  a 
considerahle  knowledge  of  the  Ottawa,  and  of  the 
country  of  the  ITurons,  to  the  French  upon  the  St. 
Lawrence,  through  the  yearly  visits  of  the  savages 


■,7 


KVHNTS    l.KAIUN'U    Tn    WllSTKKN'    KXlMiOKATIoN. 


•2-\ 


from  thoso  distimt  i>arts  niul   tlic  journoyiugs  of  the 
fiir-tnider  in  quest  of  peltry. 

In  April,  ICi'S,  tin;  first  vessels  of  the  ITiiiHlred  As- 
sociates sailed  from  Franco  Avith  colonists  and  supplies 
hound  for  the  St.  Lawrence.  F..ur  of  these  vessels 
were  armed.  Every  thing  seemed  proititious  for  a 
speedy  ari'ival  at  Quehec,  where  the  inhahitants  wi-re 
sorely  pi-esscd  for  lood  ;  hut  ii  storm,  which  had  for 
sometime  l)een  hrewing  in  Europe,  hroke  in  fury 
npon  New  France.  The  im[»ru(h,'nt  zeal  of  the  Cath- 
olics in  England,  and  the  persecution  of  the  Hugue- 
nots in  France,  aroused  the  English,  who  determined 
to  confpier  the  French  possessioi»s  in  North  America, 
if  possihle;  and,  to  that  end,  they  sent  out  David 
Kii'k,  Avith  an  armed  squadron,  to  attacdv  the  settle- 
ments in  Canada.  The  fleet  reached  the  liarhor  of 
Tadoussac  before  the  arrival  of  the  vessels  of  the 
Company  of  Xew  France.  Kirk  sent  a  demand  for 
the  surrender  of  Quehec,  but  Champlain  determined 
to  defend  the  i»lace;  at  least,  lie  resolved  to  make  a 
sliow  of  defense ;  and  the  English  commander  thought 
best  not  to  attack  such  a  formidable  looking  position. 
All  the  supplies  sent  l)y  the  Hundred  Associates  to  the 
St.  Lawrence  were  captured  or  sunk ;  and  the  next 
year,  after  most  of  its  inhabitants  had  dispersed  in 
the  forests  for  food,  Quebec  surrendered.  England 
thus  gained  her  first  supremacy  upon  the  great  river 
of  Canada. 

The  terms  of  the  capitulation  were  that  the  French 
w^ere  to  be  conveyed  to  their  own  country;  and  each 
soldier  w^as  allowed  to  take  with  liim  furs  to  the 
value  of  twenty  crowns.  As  some  had  lately  returned 
from  the  Ilurons  with  peltry  of  no  small  value,  their 


24 


DISCOVERY    OF    THE    NUllTlIWEST. 


loss  was  consi(lcral)lo.  Tlio  French  prisoners,  inclucl- 
ini^  Clianiphiin,  were  convoyed  across  the  ocean  by 
Kirk,  l)nt  tlieir  arrival  in  England  was  after  a  treaty 
of  peace  Lad  L'^en  signed  between  tlie  two  powers. 
The  result  was,  tlio  restoration  of  Xew  France  to  tlie 
French  crown  ;  and,  on  the  5th  of  July,  1G32,  £mery 
do  Caen  cast  anchor  at  Quebec  to  reclaim  the  coun- 
try, lie  liad  received  a  commission  to  hold,  for  one 
year,  a  monopoly  of  the  fur-trade,  as  an  indemnity 
for  his  losses  in  the  war  ;  after  which  time  he  was  to 
give  place  to  the  Hundred  Associates.  The  missions 
in  Canada  which  by  the  success  of  the  British  arms 
ha(l  been  interrupted,  were  now  to  be  continued  l)y 
Jusuits  alone.  De  Caen  brought  with  him  two  of 
that  order — Paul  le  Jeunc  and  Anne  de  la  !N^ouc. 

On  the  twenty-third  of  May,  lGo3,  Champlain,  com- 
missioned anew  by  Richelieu,  resumed  command  at 
Quebec,  in  behalf  of  the  Hundred  Partners,  arriving 
out  with  consideraldc  supplies  and  several  new  set- 
tlers. With  him  returned  the  Jesuit  father,  John  de 
Brebeuf.  The  Pecollets  had  been  virtually  ejected 
from  Canada.  The  whole  missionary  field  was  now 
ready  for  cultivation  l)y  the  followers  of  Loyola.  New 
France  was  restored  to  Champlain  and  his  company, 
and  to  Catholicism. 

Champlain's  first  care  was  to  place  the  affairs  of  the 
colony  in  a  more  prosperous  condition,  and  establish 
a  better  understandin<>'  with  the  Indians.  In  both  re- 
spects,  he  was  tolerably  successful.  His  knowledge  of 
the  western  country  had  been  derived  from  his  own 
observations  during  the  tours  of  1613  and  1615,  but 
especially  from  accounts  given  him  by  the  Indians. 
At  the  beginning  of  1634,  the  whole  French  popula- 


^ 


EVENTS  LEADING  TO  WESTERN  EXPLORATION. 


tion,  from  Gaspe  to  Tlircc  Rivers,  was  hardly  one  liun- 
(IrtMl  and  liftv  souls,  mostly  eni>'a<2:ed  in  the  tradinsf 
business,  on  behalf  of  the  Hundred  Partners,  whose 
operations  were  earried  on  prineipally  at  the  point 
last  named  and  at  Tadoussae — sometimes  as  far  up 
the  8t.  Lawrence  as  the  site  of  the  present  city  of 
Montreal,  but  not  often.  Of  the  small  colony  upon 
the  great  river  of  Canada,  Champlain  was  the  heart 
and  soul.  The  interior  of  the  continent  was  yet  to 
be  explored.  lie  was  resolved  to  know  more  of  ul- 
terior re2:ions — to  create  more  friends  amons:  the  sav- 
ages  therein.  The  time  had  arrived  for  sucli  enter- 
prises, and  a  trusty  conductor  was  at  hand. 


CHAPTER  II. 


I'j' 


JOHN   NICOLET,   THE   EXPLORER. 

As  early  as  the  year  1015,  Champlaiii  had  selected 
a  number  of  young-  men  and  put  them  in  care  of  some 
of  his  Indian  friends,  to  have  them  trained  to  the  life 
of  the  woods — to  the  language,  manners,  customs, 
and  habits  of  the  savages.  His  object  was  to  open, 
through  them,  as  advisers  and  interpreters,  friendly 
relations,  when  the  proper  time  should  come,  with 
the  Indian  nations  not  yet  brought  in  close  alliance 
with  the  French.  In  1(J18,  an  opportunity  presented 
itself  for  him  to  add  another  young  Frenchman  to 
the  list  of  those  who  had  been  sent  to  be  trained  in  all 
the  mysteries  of  savage  life  ;  for,  in  that  year,  John 
Nicolet^  arrived  from  France,  and  was  dispatched  to 
the  woods.^     The  new-comer  was  born  in  Cherbourg, 


'  The  proper  spelling  is  "  Nicolet,"  not  "  Nicollet,"  nor  "Nicol- 
lett."  The  correct  pronunciation  is  "  Nick-o-lay.''  The  people 
of  the  province  of  Quebec  all  pronounce  the  name  "  ^iicoWcUe,' 
though  improperly,  the  same  as  the  word  would  be  pronounced 
by  English-speaking  people  if  it  were  spelled  "  Nick-o-let."  But 
it  is  now  invariably  written  by  them  "Nicolet." 

2  Vimont,  Relation,  1643  (Quebec  edition,  1858),  p.  3.  The  Jesu- 
its, intent  upon  pushing  their  fields  of  labor  far  into  the  heart  of 
the  continent,  let  slip  no  opportunity  after  their  arrival  upon  the 
St.  Lawrence  to  inform  themselves  concerning  ulterior  regions; 
and  the  information  thus  obtained  was  noted  down  by  them. 
(26) 


JOHN   NTCOLET,    THE    EXPLORER. 


27 


in  XoiTiiandy.  His  fatlier,  Thomas  Xieolct,  was  a 
mail-carrier  from  tliat  city  to  Paris.  His  mother's 
name  was  ^farguerite  de  hi  ^ler.^ 

Xicok't  was  a  young  man  of  good   cliaractcr,  en- 
dowed with  a  profound  religious  feeling,  and  an  ex- 


'J'lioy  minutely  described,  during  a  period  of  forty  year?^,  begin- 
niny  witii  the  year  1632,  the  various  tribes  thev  came  in  contact 
with  ;  and  their  hopes  ami  tears  as  to  Ciivistianizing  thorn  were 
freely  exi)rt'.-sed.  Accounts  of  their  journeys  were  elaborated 
upon,  and  their  missionary  work  put  upon  record.  Prominerit 
jiersons,  as  well  as  important  events,  shared  their  attention.  De- 
tails concerning  the  geography  of  the  country  were  also  written 
out.  The  intelligence  thus  collected  was  sent  every  summer  by 
the  superiors  to  the  provincials  at  Paris,  where  it  was  yearly 
jjublished,  in  the  French  language.  Taken  together,  these  pub- 
lications constitute  what  are  kno\vii  as  the  Jesuit  liclaimis.  They 
have  been  collected  and  rcpub,  d  in  the  same  language,  at 
Quebec,  by  the  Canadian  goverinnent,  in  three  large  volumes. 
As  these  are  more  accessible  to  the  general  reader  in  this  form 
than  in  the  original  (Cramoisy)  editions,  they  are  cited  in  this 
narrative. 

'i'hero  is  no  complete  translation  of  the  Helations  into  the  En- 
glish language.  Numerous  extracts  from  tiie  originals  bearing 
particularly  upon  the  West — especially  upon  what  is  now  Wiscon- 
sin— were  made  some  years  since  by  Cyrus  Woodman,  of  Mineral 
Point,  translations  of  which  are  to  be  found  in  Smith's  histoi'y 
of  that  State,  Vol.  III.,  pp.  10-112.  But  none  of  these  are  from 
the  Relatioi}  of  1043 — tiie  most  important  one  in  its  reference  to 
Nicolet  and  his  visit  to  the  Northwest. 

'  "Jean  Nicollet  ne  a  Cherbourg,  etait  tils  de  Thomas  Nicollet, 
messager  ordinaire  de  Cherbourg  a  Paris,  et  de  ]V(arie  La  Mer." 
— Terland's  Cows  d'  Hisioirc  du  Canada  (1801),  Vol.  I.,  p.  324-, 
note.  But,  in  his  "  Notes  sur  les  Kegistres  de  Notre-Dame  de 
Quebec"  (Quebec,  1803,  p.  30),  he  corrects  the  mother's  name, 
giving  it  as  in  the  text  above.  That  this  was  her  real  name  is 
ascertained  from  the  Quebec  parochial  register,  and  from  fiuitet's 
records  (notary)  of  that  city. 


|1;  ! 


28 


LISCOVKKV    (»F    TIIH   XuKTllWKST. 


colU'iit   memory.      ITo   n wakened   in   tlio   hreast   of 
Cliamplai.i  lii^u'li  liopes  of  usci'iiliiess,  and  was  Ijy  him 
sent  to  the  Al«i-()iiqui  lis  ot'Tsledes  A  llumettes,  in  the  Ot- 
tawa river.     These  Indians  were  the  same  Alg'onqnins 
tliat  were  visited  hy  Cliamphun  in  1013.     Tliey  are 
iVeqnently  spoken   or,  in   early  annals  of  Canada,  as 
Aliroiuiiiins  of  the  Isle.     Hut  all  Al<i:on(|nins,  wher- 
ever found,  w^ere  afterward  desiguatt'd  as  (3ttawas  hy 
the  Freueh.     To  "the  Xation  of  the  Isle,"  then,  was 
sent  the  young  TN"orman,  that  he  might  learn  their 
hfiiirnaire,  which  was  in  general  use  upon  tho  Ottawa 
river  and  upon  the  north  hank  of  the  St.  Lawrence. 
With  them  he  remained  two  years,  follow^ingthcm  in 
their  wanderings,  partaking  of  their  dangers,  their 
fatigues,  and   their  privations,  with    a    courage    and 
fortitude  e(|ual  to  the  holdest  and  the  hravest  of  the 
trihe.     During  all  this  time,  he  saw  not  the  face  of  a 
sinirle  white  man.     On  several  difterent  occasions  he 
passed  a  numher  of  days  without  a  morsel   of  food, 
and  he  was  sonu^times  fain  to  sa.tisfy  the  cravings  of 
huna'er  hv  eatiiiu'  hark.* 


^ "  II  [Nicolet]  iirriua  en  la  Nouuelle  Fnuico,  I'an  mil  six  cents 
dixhuict.  Son  luimeur  et  sa  memoire  excollento  firent  esperer 
quolque  chose  do  bon  cle  luy ;  ou  fenuoya  hiuerner  auec  les  Al- 
goiKiuins  do  I'lsle  afin  d'apprendre  lour  langue.  II  y  dcmoura 
doux  ans  soul  de  Francois,  accompagnant  tousiours  los  Barbaros 
dans  lours  cotu'sos  ot  voyages,  auec  dos  fatigues  qui  ne  sent  im- 
agiiiables  qu'ii  coux  qui  les  ont  veiios ;  il  pas^a  plusieurs  fois  los 
sept  et  liuict  iouis  sans  rion  mangov,  il  fut  sopt  semaines  entieros 
sans  autre  nourriturc  (pi'vn  pen  d'cscorco  debois." — Vimont  /i'(> 
lafinn,  \C)[?,,  p.  ?>.  (Tho  antitpiated  orthography  and  accentuation 
of  the  delations  arc  strictly  followed  in  the  foregoing  extract ; 


JOHN   KICOLET,   THE    EXPLORER. 


29 


Nicolot,  while  residing'  with  the  Algonquiiirf  of  Isle 
tU'S  Alliimotte'^,  with  whose  language  he  had  now  be- 
come familial',  accompanied  four  hundred  of  those 
savages  upon  a  mission  of  peace  to  the  Iro(|Uois.  The 
voyage  proved  a  successful  one,  Xieolet  returning  in 
safety.  Afterward,  he  took  up  his  residence  among 
the  Xipissings,  with  whom  he  remained  eight  or  nine 
years,  lie  was  recognized  as  one  of  the  nation.  lie 
entered  into  the  ""ery  frequent  councils  of  those  sav- 
ages, lie  had  h.s  own  cabin  and  establisliment,  do- 
ing his  own  fishing  and  trading.  He  had  become, 
indeed,  a  naturalized  Xipissing.'     The  mental  activity 


so,  also,  ill  all  those  Iierearter  made  from  them  in  this  nar- 
rative.) 

"On  his  [Xicolot's]  first  arrival  [in  New  France],  by  orders  of 
those  who  presided  over  the  French  colony  of  Quebec,  ho  spent 
tv.'o  whole  years  among  the  Algonquins  of  the  island,  for  the 
jmi'pose  of  letuning  their  language,  without  any  Frenchman  as 
comitanion,  and  in  the  midst  of  those  hardships,  which  may 
be  readily  conceived,  if  we  will  reilect  what  it  must  be  to  pass 
severe  winters  in  the  woods,  under  a  covering  of  cedar  or  birch 
bark  ;  to  have  one's  means  of  subsistence  dependent  upon  hunt- 
ing; to  be  perpetually  hearing  rude  outcries;  to  be  deprived 
of  the  i)leasant  society  of  one's  own  peo'lc;  and  to  be  con- 
stantly exposed,  not  only  to  derision  and  insulting  words,  but 
even  to  daily  peril  of  life.  There  was  a  time,  indeed,  when  ho 
went  without  food  for  a  whole  week;  and  (what  is  really  won- 
derful) lie  even  spent  seven  weeks  without  having  any  thing  to 
eat  but  a  little  bark."— Du  Creux,  Ilistoria  Gmadoisis,  Paris, 
lt>iJ4,  p.  3.")9.  "  Trobably,"  says  IMargry,  "  he  must,  from  time  to 
time,  have  added  some  of  the  lichen  which  the  Canadians  call 
rock  tripe." — Journal  General  de  I' Instruction  PuhUquc.  Paris, 
18i'.2. 

'  "  11  \Nicokt']  accompagna  quatre  cents  Algonquins,  qui  alloient 
en  ce  temps  hi  faire  la  paix  auec  les  Iliroquois,  et  en  vint  a  bout 


:J(J 


DlrfCOVKUY    OV   THE   NOUTUWlvST. 


dir^played  by  lihii  while  sojourning  among  these  savages 
niav  In'  iudiivd  ot'lVoni  tlie  ciivunistance  of  his  havino- 
taken  not  es(k'sc'ri[»tive()i't]ie]iahits,  manners,  customs, 
and  nund)ers  of  the  Xipissing  Indians,  written  in  the 
t'oi'm  of  memoirs,  which  were  al'terward  presented  hy 
liini  to  one  of  the  missionaries,  who,  doubtless,  made 
o'ood  use  of  them  in  after-time  in  i!;ivin2*  an  account 
of  the  nation.^ 

Xieolet  linally  left  the  savages,  and  returned  to 
civilization,  being  recalled  l)y  the  government  and 
emjdoyed  as  conunissary  and  Indian  interpreter.^  It  is 
])i'ol)id)le,  however,  that  he  had  signitied  his  desire  to 
leave  the  Xipissings,  as  ho  could  not  live  without  the 
sacraments,''  which  were  denied  him  so  long  as  ho  re- 
mained with  them,  there  being  no  mission  established 
in  their  countrv.^ 


heureiii^enieiit.  Pleust  a.  Dieu  (lu'ello  n'eust  iamais  este  rompuo, 
nous  ne  souffiirions  pas  jI  present  los  calamitcz  qui  nous  font 
geniir  ot  donneront  vn  estrange  empeschement  jI  la  conuersion 
de  ces  peuplcs.  Apes  cette  prJx  faite,  il  alia  dcnieurer  huict  ou 
ncuf  ans  auec  la  nation  des  Ni[)issiriiiiens,  Alg()n<puns;  la  il  pas- 
soit  pour  vn  de  cette  nation,  entrant  dans  les  conseils  forts 
frequents  a  ces  penples,  ayant  sa  cabane  et  son  mesnagft  a 
part,  faisant  sa  perche  et  sa  traitte." — Vimont,  Relation,  lG4o, 
p.  3.    ^ 

*  "  I'ay  quolques  niemoires  de  sa  main,  qui  pourront  paroistre 
vn  lour,  touchant  les  Nipisiriniens,  auec  les(|uels  il  a  souuent 
hyuerne." — Le  Jeune,  Rdatlou,  IG.JO,  p.  58. 

^ '' \\  \_Nicold']  ^\\t  enfin  rappalle  et  estably  Commis  et  Inter- 
prete." — Vimont,  Relation,  1G43,  i>.  3. 

^  "  Il  [^Nicolct]  .  .  .  ne  s'en  est  retire,  que  pour  mettre  son 
salut  en  asseurance  dans  I'vsage  des  Sacreniens,  faute  desquels  il 
y  a  grande  risque  pour  I'ame,  2')army  les  Sauuages." — Le  Jeune, 
Relation,  1G3G,  pp.  57,  58. 

*It  would  be  quite  impossible  to  reconcile  the  Relation  of  1C43 


JOHN  NrcoLKT,  TiiK  j:xi'L(»ki;k. 


31 


Quebec  having  Leeii  rcoccupiecl  by  the  Froncli, 
Xicolet  took  u[)  liis  residence  there,  lie  wart  in  liigli 
i'avor  with  C'lianiphiiii,  wlio  could  not  l)ut  admire  liis 
remarkable  adaptation  to  savage  lite — the  result  of 
his  courage  and  peculiar  temperament;  at  least,  this 
admiration  nuiy  ha  presumed,  from  the  circumstance 
of  his  having,  as  the  sequel  shows,  soon  after  sent 
him  upon  an  important  mission. 

AVhcther  Kicolet  visited  Quebec  during  liis  long 
residence  among  the  Xipissing  Indians  is  not  known. 
Possibly  he  returned  to  the  St.  Lawrence  in  1()28,  to 
receive  orders  from  Champlain  on  account  of  the 
new  state  of  things  inaugurated  by  the  creation  of 
the  system  of  1027 — the  Hundred  Associates;  but, 
in  that  event,  he  must  have  soon  returned,  for  it  is 
known  that  he  remained  with  the  Xipissings  during 
the  occupation  of  Quebec  by  the  English — from  July, 
l()2i),  to  July,  1032.  The  month  during  which,  in  the 
early  days  of  Xew  France,  the  trade  of  the  Ottawa 
vv'as  performed  on  the  St.  Lawrence,  was  July ;  and, 
in  1032,  this  trade  was  largely  carried  on  wliere  the 
city  of  Three  Rivers  now  stands,  but  which  was  not 
then  founded.^     The  flotilla  of  bark   canoes   used  to 

(p.  3)  with  that  of  1G3G  (pp.  57,  58),  respecting  Nicolet's  retiring 
from  his  Indian  life,  unless  he,  for  the  motive  stated,  asked  for 
his  recall  and  was  recalled  accordingly, 

^  Champlain's  map  of  1G32  shows  no  habitation  on  the  St.  Law- 
rence above  Quebec.  In  1633,  Three  Rivers  was  virtually 
founded ;  but  the  fort  erected  there  by  Champlain  was  not  be- 
gun until  1634. — Suite's  Chronifjiie  Tr[fluvici\nc,  p.  5. 

"As,  for  the  towns  in  Canada,  there  are  but  three  of  any  con- 
siderable figure.  These  are  Quebec,  Montreal,  and  Trois  Rivieres 
[Three  Rivers].     .     .     .     Trois  Rivieres  is  a  town  so  named  from 


t    V 


UTSOOVKRV    i)V   Tim    XnliTHWHST. 


spend  usually  from  ciii'lit  to  ivn  diiys  in  that  place — 
si'ldoni  reai'iiinjj;-  (^iiehee.  In  tiio  month  and  the 
year  just  mentioned,  ])e  Caen  ari'ivi'd  in  Canada; 
and  lie  was,  tlierelore,  in  the  jtosition  to  Hend  word, 
hv  the  assend)led  Indians,  to  the  French  who  were 
living-  anionij;"  the  savai^es  njjon  tlic  Ottawa  and  the 
Georgian  hay  of  Lake  Huron,  requesting*  their  return 
to  the  St.  Lawrenee. 

Champhiin,  in  June,  1()83,  caused  a  small  fort  to  he 
erected  ahout  forty  miles  ahovo  Quehee,  for  the 
rendezvous  of  tlic  trading  flotilla  descending  tlie  St. 
Lawrence — to  draw  the  market  nearer  Quehee.  It 
was  thus  the  St.  Croix  fort  was  estaldished  where  tlie 
trade  with  the  Indians  would  ho  much  less  likelv  to 


its  situation  at  tlic  coiifluenco  of  three  rivers,  one  wliereof  is 
that  of  8t.  Lawrence,  and  lies  almost  in  liie  midway  between 
Quebec  and  ]\Iontreal.  It  is  said  to  bo  a  well  built  town,  and  con- 
siderable mart,  where  tlie  Indians  exchange  their  skins  and  furs 
for  Euroi)ean  goods." — .In  Account  of  the  French  Settlements  in 
yorlh  Aiiurica,  Boston,  174G,  pp.  12,  14. 

"  Three  Kivors,  or  Trois  Ivivieres,  is  a  town  of  Canada  East,  at 
the  coiifluenco  of  the  rivers  St.  Maurice  and  St.  Lawrence,  ninety 
miles  from  Quebec,  with  which  it  is  connected  by  electric  tele- 
graph, and  on  the  line  of  the  proposed  railway  thence  to  Mon- 
treal. It  is  one  of  the  oldest  towns  in  Canada,  and  Avas  long 
stationary  as  regarded  enterprise  or  improvement;  but  recently 
it  has  become  one  of  the  most  prosperous  places  in  the  province 
— a  change  produced  principally  by  the  commencement  of  an 
extensive  trade  in  lumber  on  the  river  St.  Maurice  and  its  tribu- 
taries, which  had  heretofore  been  neglected,  and  also  by  in- 
creased energy  in  the  manufacture  of  iron-ware,  for  which  the 
St.  Maurice  forges,  about  three  miles  distant  from  the  town, 
have  always  been  celebrated  in  Canada.  Three  liivers  is  tliQ  res- 
idence of  a  Roman  Catholic  bishop,  whose  diocese  bears  the 
same  name;  and  contains  a  llonian  Catholic  cathedral,  a  church 


JOHN'  NICOLKT,    TIIK   KXPLOIIEU. 


0'.> 


1)0  inteiTuptod  by  incursions  of  the  Iroquois  than  at 
Throe  Kivors.  At  this  time,  one  lunuUvd  and  iil'ty 
Huron  canoes  arrived  at  the  newly-chosen  position, 
tor  tratiic  Mith  the  French.  Possihly  so  great  ji  nuni- 
])er  was  tiie  result  of  the  change  in  the  government 
of  the  colony — the  return  of  the  French  to  Quebec  the 
i»re(!ediim'  vear.  AVith  this  lar^-o  fleet  of  canoes 
Xicolet  probably  returned  to  civilization  ;  for  it  is 
cei'tain  that  lie  was  upon  the  St.  Lawrence  as  early  as 
June,  1()34,  ready  to  embark  in  an  undertaking  which, 
of  necessity,  would  have  caused  so  much  consultation 
and  i)reparation  as  to  preclude  the  idea  of  his  arrival, 
just  then,  from  the  C'ttawii.  An  Indian  interpreter 
— one  well  ac<piainted  with  the  Algoncpiins  of  the 
Ottawa,  and  to  a  certain  extent  with  the  Ilurons  of 
Georgian  bay — who  could  Champlain  more  safely  de- 
pend upon  than  Xicolet  to  develop  his  schemes  of 
exi)lorati(ui  in  the  unknown  western  country,  the 
door  of  which  he  had  himself  opened  in  previous 
years  ?  AVho  was  there  bettor  (pnilified  than  his 
young  profc/jt',  familiar  as  he  was  with  the  Algonquin 
and  lluron-Iroquois  tongues,  to  hold  "  talks  "  with 
savage  tribes  still  further  west,  and  smoke  with  them 
the  pipe  of  peace — to  the  end  that  a  nearer  route  to 


of  England,  a  tScotch  kirk,  and  a  Wesleyan  chapel,  an  Ursuline 
convent,  with  a  school  attached,  whore  over  two  hundred  young 
femaU^s  are  educated;  two  public  and  several  private  scliools, 
a  mechanics'  institute,  a  Canadian  institute,  and  a  Young  Men's 
Improvement,  and  severid  other  societies.  It  sends  a  member 
to  tlie  ]n'ovinciaI  parliament.  Population  in  ]8o2,  was  4,9t)G  ;  in 
ISGl,  G,0.')8.  The  district  of  Three  Rivers  embraces  both  sides 
of  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  is  subdivided  into  four  counties." — 
lAppincoit's  Gazetlei.r,  Philadelphia,  1874. 


34 


]il,<('oVi:ilV    OF   Till',    NOHTIIWKST. 


Cliiiiii  and  Jiii>aii  iiii^u'lit  l»o  discovorod ;  or,  at  loast, 
tliat  tlio  fiir-ti-ado  inii>,lit  lie  iiiado  more  profitablo  to 
tlio  Tlinidrcd  Associates?  Surely,  no  one.  IToncc^  it 
was  tliat  ^'it'olot  ^yua  recuUed  hy  the  governor  of 
Caiiaila. 


ClTArTER  III. 

NICOLKT    DlSCOVEUri   THE   NORTHWEST. 

Nolwitl.st.iAlin.^^    Clnnni.laiu    luul   provionsly    a«- 
c.hUmI  the  Ottawa  n.ul  stoo.l  upon  the  nhoivs  ot  the 
Georgian  bay  of  Lake  Unro..,  a.ul  alth(>i.i;-li  be  luid 
roc-olvediVoni  Nvostorn  InaiauH  numorous  reports  ot 
distant   regions,  his  knowledge    of    the    g.."at   lakc^ 
was,  in  ir>:U,  exeeeaingly  linuted.     He  had  heard  ot 
Xin.-ara,  hnt  was   of  the  opinion  that  .t  was  only  a 
;aphl,  suehasthe  8t.Lonis,in  the  river  St   Lawreneo. 
lie  was  wholly  nnint\,rnied   eoneerning   Lake   Lrio, 
Lake  St.  Clair,  and  Lake  Miehigan  ;  whde,  <>t  L.dve 
Hnrcn,  he  knew   little,   and   of  Lake  Snpenor  stdl 
less      He  was  assnred  that  there  was  a  eonneetion  be- 
tween the   last-named   lake    and    the    St.  Lawrenee ; 
bnt  his    snpposition   was,  that   a    river  ihnved    from 
Lake  ILiron  direetly  into  Lake  Ontaru).     Sneh,  eer- 
tVmly  was  the  extent  of  his    information  m   10:J2,  as 
proven  by  his    nnip   of  that  date;-  and   that,  for  the 

"T^^^^Im^^tlie  first  ivttcmpt  at  delineating  tlie  great 
lakes  The  original  was,  beyond  a  reasonable  doubt,  the 
work'  of  Chann>lain  himself.  So  much  of  New  Fmnce  as 
had  been  visited  by  the  delineator  is  given  with  some 
de-ree  of  accuracy.  On  the  whole,  the  map  has  a  grotes(,ue 
appearance,  yet  it  possesses  much  value.  It  shows  .-lun-e  many 
sava.'e  nations  were  located  at  its  date.  By  it,  several  unportan 
historical  problems  concerning  the  Northwest  arc  solved,     it 


:ii; 


i):s<'tivi:KV  OF  Tiii:  xohtiiwiist. 


noxt  two    v<':iis,  lio  poiild  liiivc    received    iiiiieli    iuldi- 
ti(Hiiil  iiit'nniijitioii  cotieeriiiiiL;'  tlie  <4Te;it  lakes  is  not 

proIialiK'. 

He  liad  early  l»eeii  luld  that  iieai'  t lie  hordei's  of 
(Hie  oflliese  '"  iVesli-wat i-i' seas,"  were  eopjUM'  mines; 
tor,  ill  June,  KilO,  while  niovini;-  ii|tllie  Si.  Lawreiieii 
t(»  j(»iii  a  \var-|iaily  of  Al^<;-oiHinins,  Iliirons,  and 
Moiilau'iiais,  lie  met,  alU'i"  aseeiKliiii;-  the  river  uhout 
tweiitv-live  miles  ahove  (iiiehee,  a  eaiioe  eontaiiiiii.ij;' 
two  Indians — an  Alii;-on(iiiin  and  a  Montai^'nais — who 
had  heen  disj)atehed  to  nr<;-e  him  to  hasten  t'orwanl 
with  all  |»ossil)le  speeih  lie  entertained  them  on  his 
l>ark,  and  eont'erred  with  them  ahont  many  mat- 
ters coiu'ern  in  ii;  their  wars.  Theivupon,  the  Al^i^-on- 
(jnin  savaii'e  drew  from  a  sack  a  piece  of  cojiper,  ii 
loot  loiiij;,  wliieh  he  gave  Champlain.  It  was  very 
handsome  and  (piite  pure.  lie  said  there  were  lari^'o 
(piantitles  of  the  metal  wliere  lie  ohtained  the  i>ieee, 
and  that  it  was  ibnnd  on  the  hank  of  a  river  near  a 
great  hd<e.  lie  also  declared  that  tlio  Indians  gath- 
ered it  in  Innijis,  and,  having  melted  it,  spread  it  in 
sheets,  smoothing  it  with  stones.' 

Cham}(lain  had,  also,  early  information  that  there 


was  first  i)iil)lislio(l,  along  with  (Jlmmplaiii's  "  Voyages  do  la  Nov- 
vellc  France,"  in  Taris.  Fuc  similes  have  been  published,  one 
accompanies  volume  third  of  E.  l\.  O'Calhighans  "  Documentary 
History  of  tlie  State  of  Xew  York."  Albany,  IcSfK);  another  is 
found  in  a  r(>print  of  Chani])lain's  works  by  Laveidiere  (Vol. 
VI.),  Quebec,  1870;  another  is  by  Tross,  Paris. 

'Champlain's  Vo;/a'/cs,  Paris,  l(tl3.  pp.  24G,  217.  Upon  his  map 
of  1().')2,  Champlaiii  marks  an  island  "wliere  thi'ie  is  a  cop[ter 
luiilo."  Instead  of  being  placed  in  I-ake  Superior,  as  it  doubt- 
less should  have  been,  it  finds  a  location  in  Cjreeu  bay. 


NU'uLirr  DISCO vinis  tmk  noutiiwkst. 


iu 


dwelt  ill  tlios(^  f:ii'-()fK  coiiiitrH's  ji  iiiilion  wliich  oiico 
lived  ii])oii  till!  hordt'iN  of  a  distant  sea.  TIh's*'  jtco- 
\)\v.  wrvv  calK'd,  for  tiiat  reason,  "  Men  of  tiic  Sea," 
1»\'  111*'  AIu'oiKinins.  'riicii'  lionus  wci'c  less  llian  lour 
liiuidi'cd  iraj'-ncs  awav.  It  was  liUi-wisc  rc'iioi-lcd 
that  anotlicr  iicoplc,  witlioni  liair  or  Inards,  whose 
costumes  and  manners  somewhat  resendiK-d  the  Tar- 
tars, came  from  the  west  to  trade  with  this '' sea- 
trihe."  These  more  remote  traders,  as  was  chiimetl, 
made  their  journeys  upon  a  great  water  in  Iari;'e 
canoes.  Tiie  missionaries  r.mong  the  Hurons,  as  wt'll 
jia  Champlain  and  the  best  informed  of  tlie  Fivneli 
settlers  u}K)n  the  8t.  LawriMice,  thonglit  tliis  "great 
water  "  must  be  a  western  sea  leadini>'  to  Asia.'  Home 
of  tlie  Tmlians  wbo  tradecl  with  the  French  wei'e  in 
the  habit  of  ii'oins;  occasionaliv  to  l)arter  with  those 
"  People  of  the  Sea,"  distant  i'rom  their  homes  five 
or  six  weeks'  journey.  A  lively  imagination  on  part 
of  the  Frt'uch  easily  converted  these  hairless  traders 
coining  from  the  west  into  Chinese  or  Japanese  ;  al- 
though, in  fact,  they  were  none  other  than  the  pro- 
genitors of  the   savages  now  known  as  the   Sioux," 

'  This  "  gi-oat  water  "  was,  as  will  hereafter  be  shown,  the  Mis- 
sissipi)i  and  its  tributary,  the  Wisconsin. 

'■'Synonyms:  Cioux,  Scions.  Sioust,  Naduessue,  Xadouesiouack, 
Nadoucsiouok,  Nadoussi,  Nadouossioux,  etc. 

"  The  Sioux,  or  J)akotah  [Dakota],  .  .  .  were  [when  first 
visited  by  civibzod  men]  a  numerous  people,  separated  into  tlu'ee 
great  divisions,  which  were  again  subdivitled  into  bands.  .  . 
[One  of  these  divisions — the  most,  easterly — was  the  Issanti.]  The 
other  great  divisions,  the  Yanktons  and  the  Tintonwans,  or  Te- 
tons,  lived  westof  the  Mis.<issippi,  extending  beyond  the  Missouri, 
and  ranging  as  far  as  the  Kocky  Mountains.  The  Lssanti  cultivated 


1 


i    1 
I    i 


38 


DISCOVERY    OF    Tin-:    XORTirWEST. 


while  the  ''  seu-triho  "  was   tlic    nation    called,  siibse- 
queiitly,    AViunebagoes.'       V[)on    these    vi'ports,    the 


l^i 


tlio  soil;  but  the  oxtreme  western  bands  lived  upon  the  biiffido 
alone.     .     .     . 

"  The  name  Sioux  is  an  abbreviation  of  Xadoucssioux,  an  Ojibvva 
[rhippewaj  word,  meaning  enemies.  Tl;o  Ojibwas  used  it  to  des- 
ignate this  p(U)ple,  and  occnsionally,  also,  the,  !ro(]uois — being  at 
deadly  war  with  both."— Parknian's  "  La  Salle  and  the  Discovery 
of  the  (I rent  West"  (revised  ed.),  p.  2-1-J,  note. 

^  From  the  Algonquin  word  '  ouinipog,"  ^iguiiying  "bad 
smelling  water,"  as  salt-water  was  by  them  designated.  "When, 
thci'efore,  the  Algonquins  si)oke  of  this  tribe  as  the  "  Ouinipi- 
gou,"  they  simply  meant  "  !Men  of  the  Salt-water;"  that  is,  "  Men 
of  the  Sea."  But  the  French  gave  a  diilenmt  signification  to 
the  word,  calling  the  nation  '"Men  of  the  Stiidcing-water ;"  or, 
rather,  "the  Nation  of  Stinkards"— "  la  Nation  des  riiaiis," 
And  they  are  so  designated  by  Champlain  in  his  "  Voyages,"  in 
1G32,  and  on  his  majD  of  that  year.  By  Friar  Gabriel  Sagard 
("  Ilistoire  du  r'anada,"  Paiis,  IGilG  p.  201),  they  are  also  noted 
as  "  des  I'uants."  Sagard's  information  of  the  Winnebagoes,  al- 
though i)rinted  after  Nicolet's  visit  to  that  tribe,  was  obtained 
l^revious  to  that  event.  The  home  of  this  nation  was  around 
the  head  of  Green  bay,  in  what  is  now  the  State  of  Wisconsin. 
Says  Viniont  {lieladon,  1G40,  p.  35),  as  to  the  signiticiuion  of  the 
word  "  ouinipeg :" 

"(iuehpies  Franyois  les  appellant  la  Nation  de..  i\',in;-,  a.  cause 
que  le  mot  Algonquin  ouinipeg  signilie  eau  puante;  or  ils  noni- 
nient  ainsi  I'eau  de  la  mer  salee,  si  bieu  que  ces  peuples  se  nom- 
ment  Ouinipigou,  pource  qu'ils  viennent  des  bords  d'vne  mer 
dont  nous  n'auons  point  de  cognoissance,  et  par  consecjuent  il  ne 
i'aut  pas  les  appeller  la  nation  des  Puans,  mais  la  nation  de  la 
mer."  The  same  is  reiterated  in  the  luladons  of  1G48  and  1054. 
Consult,  in  this  connection,  Smith's  "  History  of  Wisconsin,'' 
Vol.  III.,  pp.  11,  1"),  17.  To  .John  Gilmaiy  Shea  belongs  the 
credit  of  first  identifying  the  "  Ouinipigou,"  or  "  Gens  de  Mer," 
of  Vimont  (Jielation,  1G40),  with  the  Winnebagoes.  See  his  "  Dis- 
covery and  Exploration  of  the  Mississippi  Valley,  18.53,  pp. 
20.  21. 


NICOLET   DISCOVERS   THE   XORTinVEST. 


30 


missionaries  liad  alrojidy  hnilt  fond  expootations  of 
one  day  reaeliing  China  by  tlic  oeean  wliieli  washed 
alike  the  shores  of  Asia  and  Amcriea.  And,  as  al- 
ready noticed,  Cluimplain,  too,  was  not  less  sanguine 
in  liis  lio[»es  of  aeconiplishing  a  similar  journey. 

Xieolet,  while  living  with  the  Xipissings,  niust 
have  heard  many  stones  of  the  strange  pe(^ple  so 
much  resembling  the  Chinese,  and  doubtless  his  euri- 
os'ty  Aras  not  less  exeited  than  was  Champlain's.  But 
the  g''eat  question  was,  who  should  penetrate  the 
wilderness  to  the  ''  People  of  the  Sea" — to  "  La  Xa- 
tion  des  Puants,"as  they  were  called  by  Champlain? 
Xatu rally  enough,  tlie  eyes  of  the  governor  of  Can- 
ada were  fixed  upon  Xieolet  as  the  man  to  make  the 
trial.  The  latter  had  returned  to  Quebec,  it  will 
be  remembered,  and  was  acting  as  commissar}?  and 
interpreter  for  the  Hundred  Associates.  That  he 
was  paid  l)y  them  and  received  his  orihu's  from  them 
through  Champlain,  their  representative,  is  reason- 
ablv  certain.  80  he  was  chosen  to"  make  a  iournev 
to  the  AVinnel)agoes,  for  the  purpose,  principall}',  of 
solving  the  proldem  of  a  near  route  to  China.^ 

If  he  should  fail  in  diseoverinc:  a  new  hiffhwav  to 
the  east  in  reaeliing  these  "  People  of  the  Sea,"  it 
would,  in  any  event,  be  an  important  step  toward  the 
exploration  of  the  then  unknown  west ;  and  wliy 
should  not  the  explorer,  in  visiting  the  various  na- 
tions living  upon  the  eastern  and  northern  shores  of 


^  It  is  nowhere  stated  ii;  the  J'cMions  that  such  was  the  ob- 
ject of  Champliiin  in  ilispatcliing  Nicolet  to  these  people;  never- 
theless, that  it  was  the  cliiel"  purpose  had  in  view  by  him,  is 
fairly  dedurible  from  what  is  known  of  his  purposes  at  that  date. 
He  had,  also,  other  designs  to  be  accomplished. 


I  ! 


40 


DISCOVERY   OF   THE   NORTinVEST. 


Lake  TTnron,  and  Levond  this  inland  sea,  create 
friends  among  the  savaii'e  tribes,  in  Lopes  that  a  reg- 
iihu'  tra(k^  in  peltries  might  he  estal)lished  witli  them. 
To  this  end,  lie  must  meet  them  in  a  friendly  Avay ; 
have  talks  with  tliem  ;  and  iirnily  unite  them,  if 
possible,  to  Freneh  interests.  Champlain  knew,  from 
personal  observation  made  while  ti-aveling  njton  the 
Ottawa  and  the  shores  of  the  Georgian  l)av  of  Lake 
ITnron — from  there[iorts  of  savages  who  came  from 
their  liomes  still  further  westward,  and  from  wdiat 
fur-traders,  missionaries,  and  the  young  men  sent  by 
him  among  the  savages  to  learn  their  languages  (of 
whom  Xieolet  himself  was  a  notable  example)  liad 
heard  that  there  were  comparatively  easy  facilities  of 
communiration  by  water  between  the  u[)per  country 
and  the  St.  Lawrence.  ITe  knew,  also,  that  the 
proper  time  had  come  to  send  a  trusty  jnnbassador  to 
these  far-off  nations;  so,  l)y  the  end  of  .Tune,  1084, 
KIcolet,  at  Quebec,  was  ready  to  begin  his  eventful 
journey,  at  the  command  of  Champlain. 

"  Opposite  Quebec  lies  the  tongue  of  land  called 
Point  Levi.  One  who,  in  the  summer  of  the  year 
10o4,  stood  on  its  margin  and  looked  northward,  across 
the  St.  Lawrence,  would  have  seen,  at  the  distance  of 
a  mile  or  more,  a  ranu'e  of  lof'tv  cliifs,  rising*  on  the 
left  into  the  bold  heights  of  Cape  Diamond,  and  on 
the  right  sinking  abruptly  to  the  bed  of  the  tributary 
river  St.  Charles.  I>eneath  tliese  cliffs,  at  the  brink 
of  the  St.  Lawrence,  he  would  have  descried  a  clus- 
ter of  warehouses,  sheds,  and  wooden  tenements. 
Lnmediately  above,  along  the  verge  of  the  precipice, 
lie  could  have  tra<'ed  the  outlines  of  a  fortiiied  Avork, 
with  a  flag-staff  and  a  few  small  cannon  to  command 


NICOLET    DISCOVERS    THE   NORTHWEST. 


41 


the  river ;  while,  at  the  only  point  wliere  nature  had 
made  the  heig'hts  aeeessihle,  a  zigzag  path  eounectod 
the  warehouses  and  the  fort. 

''  Xow,  eiuharked  in  the  canoe  of  some  ^^ontaguais 
Indian,  let  him  eross  the  St.  Lawrenee,  land  at  the 
[)ier,  and,  passing  the  cluster  of  huildings,  climb  the 
l)athway  up  the  cliff.  I*ausing  for  a  rest  and  breath, 
he  might  see,  ascending  and  descending,  the  tenants 
of  this  out-post  of  the  wilderness  :  a  soldier  of  the 
fort,  or  an  officer  in  slouched  liat  and  plume;  a  factor 
of  the  fur  company,  owner  and  sovereign  lord  of  all 
Canada;  a  party  of  Indians  ;  a  t  "ader  from  the  u[»per 
country,  one  of  the  precursors  of  that  hardy  race 
of  coHrrurs  <k  bois,  destined  to  form  a  conspicuous 
and  striking  feature  of  the  Canadian  [JOpuhition : 
next,  perhaps,  would  appear  a  figure  widely  different. 
The  close,  black  cassock,  the  rosary  hanging  from 
the  waist,  and  the  wide,  ])lack  hat,  looped  up  at  the 
sides,  proclaimed  tlie  Jesuit."' 

Tiiere  were  in  Canada,  at  this  date,  six  of  these 
Jesuits — Le  Jeune,  Masse,  l)e  None,  Daniel,  Davost, 
and  lin'beuf ;  to  the  last  three  had  l)een  assigned  the 
Huron  mission.  On  the  first  dav  of  Julv,  1G34,  Dan- 
iel  and  lirebeuf  left  Quebec  for  Three  Kivers,  where 
they  were  to  meet  some  llurons.  Davost  followed  tliree 
days  after>  About  the  same  time  another  expedition 
started  up  the  St.  Lawrence,  destined  for  tlie  same 
place,  to  erect  a  fort.  The  Jesuits  were  bound  for 
tlie  scene  of  their  future  labors  in  the  Huron  country. 
They  were  to  be  accompanied,  at  least  as  far  as  Isle 


'  raikman's  "  Jesuits  iu  North  America,"  pp.  1,  2. 


ii 


42 


DISCOVERY   OF   THE   NORTHWEST. 


i!  1 


I 


il\  I 


cles  Allumcttcs,  by  Xieolet  on  lii.s  way  to  tlie  AYinne- 
Laii'oes/ 

At  Tlircc  KivcTs,  Xicolet  assisted  in  a  manner  in 
the  pei-niaiieiit  touiidation  of  tlie  place,  by  lielping-  to 
})!aiit  some  of  the  pickets  of  tlie  fort  just  commenced. 
The  llurons,  asseinbled  there  for  the  jmrposes  of 
trade,  were  readv  to  return  to  their  homes,  and  with 
them  the  missionaries,  as  well  as  Xicolet,  expected  to 
journey  uj)  tlie  Ottawa.  The  savages  were  few  in 
nundjer,  and  much  ditHculty  was  experienced  in  get- 
ting- permits  from  them  to  carry  so  many  white  men, 
as  other  Frenchmen  were  also  of  the  company.  It 
was  past  the  middle  of  July  before  all  were  on  their 
wav. 

That  Xicolet  did  not  visit  the  ^Vinnel)agoes  pre- 
vious to  1G34,  IS  reasonably'  certain.  Champlain 
would  not,  in  1032,  have  located  upon  his  map  Green 
bay  north  of  Lake  Superior,  as  was  done  by  him  in 
that  year,  had  Nicolet  been   there  before  that  date. 


'This  is  assumed,  although  in  no  account  that  has  been  discov- 
ered is  it  expressly  asserted  that  he  visited  the  tribe  just  men- 
tioned during  this  year.  In  no  record,  contemporaneous  or  later, 
is  the  dfiteofhisjourney  thither  given,  except  approximately.  The 
fact  of  Mcolet's  having  made  the  journey  lo  the  Winnebagoes 
is  first  noticed  by  Vimont,  in  the  delation  of  1640,  p.  ;;5.  lie 
says;  "  le  visiteray  tout  maintenant  le  coste  du  Sud,  ie  diray  on 
passant  que  le  sieur  Xicolet,  interprete  en  langue  Algonquine 
et  Iluronne  pour  Messieurs  de  la  nouuelle  France,  m'a  donne  les 
noms  de  ces  nations  qu'il  a  visitees  luy  mesme  pour  la  pluspart 
dans  leur  pays,  tons  ces  penples  entendent  fAlgonquin,  excepte 
les  llurons,  qui  out  vne  langue  a  part,  comme  aussi  les  Ouini- 
pigou  lWvine/>auoes']  ou  gens  de  mer."  The  year  of  Nicolet's 
visit,  it  will  be  noticed,  is  thus  left  undetermined.  The  extract 
only  shows  that  it  must  have  been  made  "  in  or  before  "  1639. 


NICOLET    DISCOVKHS    THE    NORTHWEST. 


43 


As  lie  was  sent  by  Champlain,  the  latter  must  litivc 
had  knowledge  of  his  going;  bo  that  had  he  started 
in  1():)2,  or  the  previous  year,  the  governor  would, 
doubtless,  have  awaited  his  return  before  noting 
down,  from  Indian  reports  only,  the  loeation  of  rivers 
and  lakes  and  the  homes  of  savage  nations  in  those 
distant  regions. 

It  has  already  been  shown,  that  ^icolet  probably 
returned  to  Quebec  in  1633,  relincpiishing  his  home 
amouij:  the  Xinissinii:  Indians  that  vear.  And  that 
he  did  not  immediately  set  out  at  the  command  of 
Champlain  to  return  up  the  Ottawa  and  journey 
thence  to  the  AVinnebagoes,  is  certain ;  as  the  sav- 
ages from  the  west,  then  trading  at  the  site  of  what 
is  now  Three  Rivers,  were  in  no  humor  to  r.llow  him 
to  retrace  his  steps,  even  had  he  desired  it.^ 

It  may,  therefore,  be  safely  asserted  that,  before  the 
year  1('»34,  "  those  so  remote  countries,"  lying  to  the 
northward  and  northwestward,  beyond  the  Georgian 
bay  of  Lake  Huron,  had  never  been  seen  by  civilized 
man.  But,  did  Xicolet  visit  those  ulterior  regions  in 
1G34,  returning  thence  in  1035  ?  That  these  were 
the  years  of  his  ex[)lorations  and  discoveries,  there 
can  be  no  longer  any  doubt.^  After  the  ninth  day 
of  December,  of  the  last-mentioned  year,  his  contin- 
ued presence  upon  the  8t.  Lawrence  is  a  matter  of 
record,  up  to  the  day  of  his  death,  except  from  the 
nineteenth  of  March,  1038,  to  the   ninth  of  January, 

'  As  to  tlio  temper  of  tlie  Tlurons  at  that  date,  see  Parkman's 
"Jesuits  in  North  America,''  p.  51. 

^  The  credit  of  first  advancing  tliis  idea  is  due  to  Benjamin 
Suite.  See  his  article  entitled  "  Jean  Nicolet,"  in  "  Melanges  D' 
llistoire  et  de  Litterature,"  Ottawa,  1870,  pp.  42G,  4o6. 


44 


DISCOVERY    OF    THH   XUllTIIWEST. 


I'i 

i 
if 

'■'r 

'■  I 

'  ■  f 
'  I 


i'i    ! 


lOoO.  Those  ton  montlis  could  not  have  scon  him 
joiiriioyino'  iVom  Qiu-hec  to  the  coiitor  ot*  wliat  is  now 
AVisc'onsiii,  and  ivtui-n  ;  for,  dcHhicting  those  whieli 
could  not  have  hoeu  traveled  in  because  of  ice  in 
the  rivers  and  lakt-s,  and  the  remaining  ones  were 
too  few  I'oi-  his  voyag-e,  considering  the  number  of 
tribes  he  is  known  to  have  visited.  Then,  too,  the 
Ii-o(iuois  liad  penetrated  the  countrv  of  the  Al4ron- 
quins,  rendei'ing  it  totally  unsafe  for  such  explorations, 
even  hy  a  Frenchman.  Besides,  it  may  bo  stated 
tluit  Champlain  Avas  no  longer  among  the  living,  and 
that  with  him  died  the  s[)irit  of  discovery  which 
alone  could  have  prompted  the  journey. 

Furthermore,  the  marriage  of  Xicolet,  which  had 
previously  taken  place,  militates  against  the  idea  of 
his  having  attempted  any  more  daring  excursions 
among  savage  nations.  As,  therefoi'e,  he  certainly 
traveled  up  the  Ottawa,  as  far  as  Isle  des  Allumettes, 
in  1034,^  and  as  there  is  no  evidence  of  hishavinjrbeen 
upon  the  St.  Lawrence  until  near  the  close  of  the  next 
year,  the  conclusion,  from  these  facts  alone,  is  irresisti- 
ble that,  during  this  period,  lie  accomplislied,  as  here- 
after detailed,  the  exploration  of  the  western  countries; 
visited  the  Winnehagoes,  as  well  as  several  neighboring 
nations,  and  returned  to  the  St.  Lawrence ;  all  of  which, 
it  is  believed,  could  not  have  been  performed  in  one 
summer.-   But  what,  heretofore,  has  been  a  very  strong 

'  Bivbouf,  lidation  dcs  ITurons,  lOor),  p.  30.  lie  says:  "lean 
Xicolet,  on  son  voyage  (lu'il  fit  auec  nou.s  iiisques  d  I'Isle,"  etc. ; 
meaning  the  Isle  des  Allumettes,  in  the  Ottawa  river. 

^  Incidents  recorded  in  the  liclafhns,  and  in  the  parish  church 
register  of  Three  h'ivers,  show  Nieolet  to  have  been  upon  the  St. 
Lawrence  from  December  9,  1G;]5,  to  his  death,  in  1G42,  except 


XrCOLET    DISCOVKllS    THE    NOUTIIWKST. 


45 


probability,  is  now  seen  clearly  to  bo  a  fact;  as  it  is 
certainly  known  that  an  agreement  for  peace  was 
made  some  time  before  June,  1085,  between  certain 
Indian  tribes  (Winnebagoes  and  Xez  Perces),  wliicli, 
as  the  account  indicates,  was  brouiih  tabout  bv  Xico- 
let  in  his  journey  to  tlie  Far  West.* 


/ 


■/ 


iluring  the  ton  months  above  mentionod.  It  is  an  unfortunatofjict 
that,  for  those  ten  months,  the  record  of  the  church  just  named 
is  missing.  For  this  information  I  am  indebted  to  Mr.  Iienjamin 
Suite.  Could  the  missing  record  be  found,  it  would  bo  seen  to 
contain,  without  doubt,  s(ime  references  to  Nicolel's  presence  at 
Three  Rivers.  As  the  liclUion  of  1640  mentions  Nicolet's  visit 
to  the  Winnebagoes,  it  could  not  have  been  made  subsequent  to 
1039.  It  has  already  been  shown  how  improbable  it  is  that  his 
journey  was  made  previous  to  1034.  It  only  remains,  there- 
fore, to  give  his  whereabouts  previous  to  1640,  and  subsequent  to 
163;").  His  presence  in  Three  Hi  vers,  according  to  Mr.  Suite  (seo 
A))pendix,  I.,  to  this  narrative),  is  noted  in  the  parish  register  in 
December,  1035;  in  May,  1036;  in  November  and  December, 
lii37;  in  March,  1638;  in  January,  March,  July,  October,  and 
December,  1031).  As  to  mention  of  him  in  the  Relations  during 
those  years,  see  the  next  chapter  of  this  work. 

It  was  the  identification  by  Mr.  Shea,  of  the  Winnebagoes  as 
the  "  Ouinipigou,"  or  "Gens  de  Mer,"  of  the  Iiehi(ion,s,  that  en- 
abled him  to  call  the  attention  of  the  public  to  the  extent  of  the 
discoveries  of  Nicolet.  The  claims  of  the  latter,  as  the  discov- 
erer of  the  Northwest,  were  thus,  for  the  first  time,  brought  for- 
ward on  the  page  of  American  history. 

'  "  Le  huictiesme  de  luin,  le  Capitaine  des  Naiz  percez,  on  de  la 
Nation  du  Castor,  qui  est  a  irois  iournees  de  nous,  vint  nous  de- 
niander  quelqu'vn  de  nos  Frangois,  pour  alter  auec  eux  i)asser 
I'Este  dans  vn  fort  qu'ils  ont  fait,  pour  la  crainte  qu'ils  ont  des 
ASeat^iHacnrrhonon,  e'est  a  dire,  des  gens  puants,  qui  ont  rompu  lo 
traicte  de  paix,  et  ont  tue  deux  de  leurs  dont  ils  ont  fait  festin." 
— Le  Jeune,  Relation,  1030,  p.  02. 

"  On  the  iSth  of  June  [1035],  the  chief  of  the  Nez  Perces,  or 
Beaver  Nation,  which  is  three  days'  journey  from  us  [the  Jesuit 


40 


DISCCJVKHY   of   TIIK    NOllTIIWK.ST. 


4 


I 


Tlio  siiftorinii's  endured  l)v  all  tlio  Freiielimon,  ox- 
cept  Nieolet,  in  truveliui''  up  the  Ottawa,  were  very 
severe.  The  latter  had  been  so  manv  vears  anionij 
tlie  Indians,  was  so  inured  to  the  toils  of  the  wilder- 
ness, that  lie  met  every  hardship  with  tlie  eourago, 
tlio  fortitude,  and  the  streng'th  of  the  most  robust 
savaic<^'.'  ^^<)t  so  with  the  rest  of  the  partv.  "  Bare- 
foot,  lest  their  shoes  should  injure  the  frail  vessel, 
eaeh  crouehed  in  his  canoe,  toiling-  with  unprae- 
tieed  liands  to  propel  it.  Before  him,  week  after 
week,  he  saw  the  same  lank,  unkempt  liair,  tlie  same 
tawny  shoulders,  and  long  naked  anns  ceaselessly 
]»lying  the  paddle."-  A  scanty  diet  of  Indian-corn 
U'ave  them  little  stren2;th  to  assist  in  carrvinc:  canoes 
and  baggage  across  the  numerous  portages.  They 
were   ""enerallv  ill-treated  bv  the  savages,  and  onlv 

O  •>  t/  O  ^  t- 

reached  the  Huron  villages  after  great  peril.  Nicolet 
remained  for  a  time  at  Isle  des  Allumettes,  where  he 
parted  with  Brebeuf. 

To  again  meet  "the  Algonquins  of  the  Isle  "  must 
have  been  a  pleasure  to  Xicolet;  but  he  could  not 

missionaries,  located  at  the  head  of  Georgian  bay  of  Lake  Hu- 
ron], came  to  demand  of  us  some  one  of  our  Frenchmen  to  go 
with  them  to  pass  the  summer  in  a  fort  which  they  have  made, 
hy  reason  of  the  fear  which  thoy  have  of  the  Aireatixirarnrrlm- 
iion;  *  that  is  to  say,  of  the  Nation  of  the  Puants  [Winnebagoes], 
who  have  broken  the  tieaty  of  peace,  and  liave  killed  two  of 
their  men,  of  whom  they  have  made  a  feast." 

'  Tean  Xicolet,  en  son  voyage  qu'  il  fit  anec  nous  iiisques  m  1'  Isle 
soul'iVit  aussi  tons  Ics  t'.'uuau.x:  d'  vn  des  plus  rubustes  Sauuages.' 
—  Bi'obeuf,  Helation,  1G35,  p.  30. 

-  T^irkni'in's  "Jesuits  in  Noi'th  America,"  p.  T),!. 


*  Tli<^  fl,<,'nro  S  Avhicli  oconrs  in   this  -word  in  tho  E  IntioinA  KillCi,  is  supposcMl 
to  i)r  oiiuiv.ilcut,  in  English,  to  "  \\,"  "  we,"  or  "  oo." 


NICOLET   DI?<COVERS   THK   NUKTIIWKST. 


47 


tarrv  lona:  witli  tlioni.  To  the  iruroii  villag-os,  on  tlio 
])ortlors  of  Georgian  bay,  he  Avas  to  go  before  enter- 
ing upon  liis  joni'ney  to  unexplored  eountries.  To 
tlieni  he  must  hasten,  as  to  tlieni  he  was  tirst  aeered- 
ited  hy  Chaniphiin.  lie  had  a  h)ng  distance  to  travel 
from  the  homes  of  that  nation  before  reaching  the 
AVinncbagoes.  There  was  need,  therei'ore,  for  expe- 
dition. He  must  yet  make  his  way  up  the  Ottawa  to 
the  Mattawan,  a  tributary,  and  by  means  of  the  latter 
reach  Lake  ^Tipissing.  Thence,  he  would  float  down 
French  river  to  Georgian  bay.'  And,  even  after  this 
body  of  water  w^as  reached,  it  would  require  a  con- 
siderable canoe  navigation,  coasting  along  to  the 
southward,  before  he  could  set  foot  upon  Huron  ter- 
ritory. So  Nicolet  departed  from  the  Algonquins  of 
the  Isle,  and  arrived  safely  at  the  Huron  towns.^  Was 
he  a  stranger  to  this  nation?  Had  he,  during  his 
long  sojourn  among  the  Nipissings,  visited  their  vil- 
lages ?  Certain  it  is  he  could  speak  their  language. 
He  must  have  had,  while  residing  with  the  Algon- 
quins, very  frequent  intercourse  with  Huron  parties, 
who  often  visited   Lake   Xipissing   and   the  Ottawa 

^  The  Mattawan  1ms  its  source  on  the  very  verge  of  Lake  Nipis- 
sing,  so  that  it  was  easy  to  make  a  "portage"  there  to  reach  the 
lake.  The  Indians,  and  afterward  the  French,  passed  by  the  Mat- 
tawan, Mattouane,  or  Mattawin  ("the  residence  of  the  beaver"), 
wont  over  the  small  space  of  land  called  the  "  portage,"  that  ex- 
ists between  the  two  waters,  floated  on  Lake  Nipissing,  and  fol- 
lowed the  French  river,  which  flows  directly  out  of  that  lake  to 
the  Georgian  bay. 

A  "  portage  "  is  a  place,  as  is  well  known,  where  parties  had 
to  "  port "  their  baggage  in  order  to  reach  the  next  navigable 
water. 

2  Vimont,  licla'.ion,  1G43,  p.  3. 


!) 


48 


i»[S(()Vi;uv  (ir  tiik  NuitTii\vi:sT. 


i 
:,ir  I' 


rivor  for  pui']>osc's  of  trade'  liiil  \y\\y  was  Xicolot 
accrcditiMl  hv  ('liaiiiidain  to  llio  iliiri'iis  at  all  V  Was 
not  tlic  St.  J^aw  rnuH'  visltod  vcarlv  1)V  tlu'ir  ti-adcrs? 
It  could  not  liavc  Ix'cn,  tlici't'lorc,  to  ('stal)lisli  a  coiii- 
incivo  Vvltli  tlicm.  Xtitlici'  could  it  liavo  hccn  to  ox- 
])l()re  tlicir  counti'v  ;  tor  tlic  r(>i/((f/<  iir,  \]\ii  iur-tradcr, 
tli(!  missionary,  even  (liauiplaiu  iiiinseU',  as  we  liavo 
st'i'U,  luul  alivadv  been  at  tlicii*  towns.  Was  tlie  vv- 
f'usal,  a  year  pivvious,  f)t'  tlicir  trading-i»artics  at 
Quc])cc  to  take  tlic  di'suits  to  tlieir  homes  the  cause 
of  Nicolet's  hcin<4'  sent  to  smoke  the  pipe  of  peace 
witli  tlieir  chiefs?  This  could  not  Inive  been  tlie 
reason,  else  the  missioiniries  would  not  have  preceded 
him  from  the  Isle  des  Allumettes.  lie  certainly  had 
to  travel  many  miles  out  of  his  way  in  going  from  the 
Ottawa  to  the  "Winnehagoes  by  way  of  the  Huron  vil- 
lages. J  lis  object  was,  evidently,  to  inform  the  ITu- 
rons  that  the  governor  of  Canada  was  anxious  to  have 
amicable  relations  established  between  them  and  the 
AVinnehagoes,  and  to  obtain  a  few  of  the  nation  to 
a'^company  him  upon  his  mission  of  i)eace.^ 


*  "  Sieur  Xicolot,  intorproter  en  langue  Algonquine  et  Iluron- 
110,"  etc. — Viniont,  Ti^Jation,  1040,  p.  35. 

The  Ilurons  and  Ni|iissiii<.'s  woi-e,  at  that  date,  great  friends, 
liaving  constant  intercourse,  according  to  all  accounts  of  those 
days. 

■■^ "  The  People  of  the  Sea  "—that  is,  the  AVinnebagoes— were  fre- 
(luently  at  war  with  the  Hurons,  Nez  Forces,  and  other  nations  on 
tiio  (loorgian  bay,  which  fact  was  well  known  to  the  governor  of 
( 'aiiada.  Now,  the  good  oflices  of  Xicolet  were  to  be  interposed 
lo  bring  about  a  reconciliation  between  these  nations.  He,  it 
is  beh'evod,  was  also  to  carry  out  Champlnin's  policy  of  making 
the  Indian  tribes  the  allies  of  the  French.  Vimont  {Relation, 
1643,  p.  3)  says,  he  was  cho.sen  to  make  a  journey  to  the  Winne- 


Nicoiiirr  i)iHC0Vi:iis  thk  xuiitiiwi:st. 


49 


It  wa8  now  tliat  Xicolot,  Jil'toi'  all  ccroinoiru'S  and 
"  talks  "  witli  tjjo  llurourt  woro  eiuK-d,  began  ]Mvpa- 
rations  for  his  voyage  to  the  \Vinnel)agoes.  lie  Avas 
to  strike  holdiy  into  nndiseovered  regions.  He  was 
to  enconnter  savage  nations  never  l)i'lorc  visited.  It 
was,  in  reality,  the  ])egiiniing  (d' a  voyage  fnll  of  dan- 
gers— one  tliat  won  Id  reqniro  great  tact,  great  conr- 
age,  and  constant  lacing  of  dilUenUies.  No  one, 
however,  nnderstood  l>etterthe  savage  character  than 
he ;  no  Frencluiian  was  more  fertile  of  resources. 
From  the  St.  Lawren^-e,  he  had  l)ronght  presents  to 
conciliate  tiie  Indian  tril)es  which  he  would  meet. 
Seven  Ilurons  were  to  acconipanyliim.^  Pu'lorehim  lay 
trreat  lakes  ;  around  him,  when  on  land,  would  frown 
dark  forests.  A  Ijirch-hark  canoe  was  to  hear  the  first 
white  nnin  along  the  northern  shore  of  Lake  Huron, 
and  upon  Saint  :Mary's  strait-  to  the  falls— '^  Sault 
Sainte  Marie  ;"  many  miles  on  Lake  Michigan ;  thenco, 
up  Green  hay  to  the  homes  of  the  Winnehagoes:"'  and 

bajroos  and  treat  for  peace  ^vith  thorn  <(ud  wllh  the  ITurons  ;  show- 
ing, it  is  suggosted,  that  it  wns  not  only  to  biing  al)out  a  peace 
hi'twcrn  (lie  (wo  tri/jcs,  but  to  attach  thein  both  to  I'rencli  interests. 
Tlie  words  of  Viniont  are  tlicso: 

"  Pendant  qu'il  exergoit  cette  charge,  il  INiroLt]  fut  delogne 
pour  faire  vn  voyage  en  la  nation  appellee  des  (iens  de  Mer,  et 
traitter  la  paix  auec  eux  et  les  llurons,  des(|uels  il  sont  esloignes, 
tirant,  vers  fOiicst,  d'enuiron  trois  cents  lieues." 

1  "  ri  [yicDlct]  s'embarque  an  pays  des  llurons  auec  sept  8auu- 
ages." — Viinont,  llclalioa,  1G43,  p.  3. 

^Saint  Mary's  strait  sei)arates  the  Dominion  of  Canada  from 
the  upper  peninsula  of  Michigan,  and  connects  Lake  Superi(.>r 
with  Lake  Huron. 

3  The  ro\ite  taken  by  Xicolet,  from  the  mouth  of  French  river, 


50 


])ISr()Vi;i!V    n|.'    TIIK    NullTilW'llST. 


I 


I 


flint,  ciiiioo  w:m  1o  lend  llic  A-im  of  ii  mi^ii'lity  flcot 
indeed,  jis  tlie  coiiiiiieree  of  tlie  ii[>i>er  Inke.s  can 
tostil'v.     Witli  liini,  lu!  li:i<l  u  nuiiil)er  of  presontH. 

What  iiiitioiis  were  eneounteivd  by  liini  on  tli(>  way 
to  "llie  IV'ople  of  tlio  Sea,"  fi'oni  tlio  Ilni'on  vil- 
la ij^es  V  Tlirei — all  of  AI<;'oii(|nin  linea^i!;!^ — oeeiiiiled 
tlie  sliores  of  the  (leortiian  l)av,  belbro  tlio  month  of 
French  I'iver  had  heen  I'eaehed.  C'oncci'ning'  them, 
little  is  known,  except  their  names. ^  ]\issin<i^  the 
river  Avhich  tlows  from  Lake;  Kipissing,  KicoK-j 
"upon  the  same  shoi-es  of  this  frosh-watcr  sea,"'  that 
is,  upon  the  shores  of  Lake  Huron,  came  next  to  "the 
Katicm  of  ])eavcrs,"  -  whose  hnntino'-grouiuls  were 
northward  of  the  Afanitouliu  islands.''     This  nation 


in  journoying  toward  tlio  '\Viiinol)agno>(,  is  snnioi(Mitly  iiulicatod 
by  (1)  noting  tliat,  ill  mentioning  tlu^  variouH  tribes  visited  l)y 
liini,  Niofilct  probably  gave  tlioir  names,  except  the  Ottawa^,  in 
the  order  in  wliieli  lie  nu't  tluiu  ;  {Uid  ("J)  by  calculating  his  time 
as  more  limited  on  jiis  return  than  on  his  outward  trip,  because 
of  liis  desire  to  dcscfMid  the  Ottawa  uith  the  annual  flotilla  of 
Huron  canoes,  Avhioli  would  reach  the  St.  Lawrence  in  July,  ]Ch]'t. 

'The  Ouasouarim,  the  Out(!hougai,  and  the   Atchiligoiian. — 
Viniont,  Ji<li(t'to„,  1(')40,  p.  ;jt. 

^Called  Amikoiiai  {lid,  1040,  p.  ?A),  from  Amik  or  Amikon — a 
beaver. 

•"' The  Manitoulin  islaiuls  stretch  from  east  to  wc^st  along  lie 
north  shores  of  bake  Huron,  and  consist  chielly  of  the  (ire...t 
Manitoulin  or  Sacred  Isle,  J/ittle  Manitoulin  or  Cockburn,  and 
Ihuinmond.  (ireat  ^Manitoulin  is  eighty  miles  long  by  twenty 
broad.  Little  Manitoulin  has  a  diameter  of  about  seven  miles. 
Dnunmond  is  twenty-four  miles  long,  with  a  breadth  vary- 
ing from  two  to  twelve  miles.  It  is  separated  from  the  American 
'shore,  on  the  west,  by  a  strait  called  tln^  True  Detour,  which  is 
scarcely  one  mile  wide,  and  forms  the  princii)al  ])assago  for  ves- 
sels proceeding  to  Lake  Superior. 


t> 


NICOLKT    MSCON'KUS    TIIK   NullTIIWKST. 


r,i 


was  aftcnvurd  esteriiu'd  among  the  most  nohlo 
of  tlioso  of  (.^iiiadii.  Tlicy  wore  HUl)i»Or<0(l  to  bi'  di'- 
Hccndcd  from  tlie  (}roat  licavor,  wlTu'li  was,  next  to 
Mio  (Jreat  Hare,  tlicir  lu'mcipal  divinity.  Tlu'V  inlial)- 
itvd  origimilly  tlic  lioavcr  islands,  in  Lake  Midi igim  ; 
aftcrwar.l  the  Manitonlin  islands;  tlii-n  tlicy  ivmovod 
to  tlic  main-land,  wliurc  tlicy  were  fonnd  hy  Nicolct. 
Fartlior  on,  hnt  still  upon  tlu'  margin  of  tlic  great 
lako,  was  found  anotlicr  trilx'.'  This  pc'oi)l(',  and  the 
Amikoiiai,  wcro  of  tho  Algonquin  family,  and  their 
hingujigo  was  not  dinh'ult  to  he  understood  hy  Nieo- 
iot."  Knturing,  finally,  St.  Mary's  strait,  his  eanoos. 
were  urged  onward  for  a  nund)er  of  miles,  until  the 
fjills— Sault  do  Sainte  Marie-— were  reached:  and 
there  stood  Xieolet,  the  first  white  man  to  s(>t  foot 
upon  any  portion  of  what  was,  uiore  than  a  e(>ntuiy 
and  a  half  after,  ealled  '' the  territory  northwest  of 
the  river  Oliio,"''  now  the  States  of  Oliio,  Indiana,  Tl- 

'  'Yhc  OiiiuisMgal. — Viinont,  Hrlat'o)),  1010,  p.  34. 

'■^Tlioso  falls  iivo  distinctly  marke<l  on  Chainplain's  map  of 
1032;  and  on  tint  of  DuCivux  of  KiiiO. 

^  in  <:ivin<i  Nicolot  this  crrdit,  it  is  nooessavj'  to  stato,  that  the 
governor  ol  (!anada.  in  10S8,  claimed  that  honor  for  Chaniplain 
(N.  Y.  Col.  Doc,  Vol.  IX  ,  p.  37S).     He  says: 

"In  the  years  1011  and  1012,  he  [Champlain]  ascended  tho 
ririind  river  [Ottawa]  as  far  as  Lake  Huron,  called  the  Fresh  sea 
[La  Mer  Douce];  lie  wont  th(>nce  to  the  Petun  [Tobacco]  Na- 
tion, next  to  the  Neutral  Nation  and  to  the  Macoutins  [Mascou- 
tius],  who  were  then  residin.i,'  near  the  jilace  called  the  Sakinian 
[that  part  of  the  present  State  of  Michigan  lying  between  tho 
head  of  Lake  Erie  and  Saginaw  bay,  on  Lake  Huron];  from  that 
he  went  to  the  Algonquin  and  Huron  tribes,  at  war  against  the 
Inxiuois  [Five  Nations].  He  passed  by  places  he  has,  himself, 
described  in  his  book  [Los  Voyages  Do  La  Novvelle  France,  etc., 
1032],  which  arc  no  other  than  Detroit  [i.  e.,  "  the  straight,"  now 


no 


DISCOVKllV    or   TlIK   NUUTIIWKST. 


linois,  ^fichignii,  niid  AVisconsin,  and  bo  much  of 
^liniR'sotii  as  lies  oast  of  tlio  ^fississi[ipi  river. 


c.'illod  Detroit  river]  and  Lake  Erie"   -Mem.  of  M.  dc  DaianriUe, 
Ma;/  8,  I  OSS. 

The  reader  is  referred  to  Cliamplain's  Map  of  ir>.'»2,  and  to  "  liis 
book"  of  the  sumo  date,  for  a  complete  refutation  of  the  as- 
sertion as  to  his  visiting,  at  any  time  before  that  year,  tlie 
Mascoutins.  In  1G;52,  Champlain,  as  shown  by  his  map  of  tliat 
year,  liad  no  knowledge  whatever  of  Lake  Erie  or  Lako  St. 
Clair,  nor  had  he  i)r<>viously  been  so  far  west  as  Detroit  river. 
It  is,  of  course,  Avell  known,  that  ho  did  not  go  west  of  the 
St.  Lawi'enoe  during  that  year  or  subsequent  to  that  date.  Locat- 
ing the  Mascoutins  "  near  the  place  called  the  Sakiman,"  is  as 
erroneous  as  that  Champlain  ever  visited  those  sav.'vges.  The 
reported  distance  between  him  when  at  the  most  westerly  point 
of  his  journeyings  and  the  Mascoutins  is  shown  by  himself; 
"After  having  visited  these  people  [the  Tobacco  !Nation,  in  De- 
cember, ITjlo]  we  left  the  place  and  came  to  a  nation  of  Indians 
which  we  have  named  the  Standing  Hair  [Ottawas],  who  were 
very  much  rejoiced  to  see  us  again  [he  had  met  them  previously 
on  the  Ottawa  river],  with  whom  also  we  formed  a  friendship, 
and  who,  in  like  manner,  i)romised  to  come  and  find  us  and  see 
us  at  the  said  habitation.  At  this  place  it  seems  to  mo  appro- 
priate to  give  a  description  of  their  countrj',  manners,  and  modes 
of  action.  In  the  first  i)lace,  they  make  war  upon  another  nation 
of  Indians,  called  the  Assistagueronon,  which  means  nation  of 
fire  [Mascoutins],  ten  days  distant  from  them." — Voyages,  1032, 
I.,  p.  202  [272]. 

Upon  his  map  of  1032,  Champlain  speaks  of  the  "  discoveries  " 
made  by  him  "in  the  year  1014  and  lOlo,  until  in  the  year  1618" 
— "  of  this  great  lake  [Huron],  and  of  all  the  lands  from  (he  Sauk 
St.  Louis  [the  rapids  in  the  St.  Lawrence];" —  V»ut  he  nowhere 
intimates  that  he  had  made  discoveries  xcest  of  that  lake.  It  is, 
therefore,  certain  that  the  first  white  man  who  ever  saw  or  ex- 
plored any  i)ortion  of  the  territory  forming  the  jiresent  State  of 
Michigan  was  John  Nicolet — not  Champlain.  Compare  Park- 
man's  "  Pioneers  of  France  in  the  New  World,"  Chap.  XIV.,  and 
map  illustrative  of  the  text. 


O 


M('(H,ET   Dlf^COVKIlS   THR   NORTIIWE.'^T. 


58 


^' 


r^ 


Among  "  tho  People  of  the  Falls,"  ^  at  their  principal 
village,  oil  the  south  pi(k'  of  the  strait,  at  the  foot  of 
the  rapids,-  ill  what  is  now  the  State  of  Michigan,''  Xico- 
let  and  liis  seven  ITurons  rested  from  the  fatignes  of 
their  weary  voyage.^  They  were  still  with  AlgoiKpiins. 

'  Their  name,  as  stated  l)y  Nicolet  and  preserved  in  the  Jidation 
of  ItWO,  was  Baouichtigouin ;  given  in  the  Jielation  of  1642,  as 
Paiioitigoiieieuhak—"  inhabitants  of  the  falls;"  in  the  Ttcudion 
of  104S,  as  raouitagoung— "  nation  of  the  Sault;"  on  Du  Creux' 
map  of  lOGO,  "  PasitigSocii ;"  and  they  were  sometimes  known  as 
raouitingonach-irini— "  the  men  of  the  shallow  cataract."  They 
Avere  estimated,  in  1G71,  at  one  hundred  and  fifty  souls.  They 
tlu-n  iniittMl  with  other  kindred  nations. 

By  the  French,  these  tribes,  collectively,  were  called  Sauteurs; 
but  they  were  known  to  tho  Iroquois  as  Estinghicks,  or  Stiagig- 
roone— the  termination,  roonc,  meaning  men,  being  applied  to  In- 
dians of  the  Algonquin  family.  They  were  designated  by  the 
Siou.K  as  Uaratwaus  or  "  people  of  the  falls."  They  were  the  an- 
cestors of  the  iTiodcrn  Otchipwes,  or  Ojibwas  (Chippewas). 

^Tliat  this  was  the  location  in  1641  is  certain.  Shea's  Catholic 
Misdoiis,  p.  1S4.  In  1GG9,  it  was,  probably,  still  at  the  foot  of  the 
rapid.s,  on  the  southern  side.  Li,  p.  361.  Besides,  when  the 
missionaries  fa-st  visited  the  Sault,  they  were  informed  that  tho 
place  had  been  occupied  for  a  long  pei'iod.  The  falls  are  cor- 
rectly marked  upon  Champlain's  map  of  1G32. 

^  The  earliest  delineation,  to  any  extent,  of  the  present  State 
of  Michigan,  is  that  to  bo  found  on  Du  Creux'  Map  of  IGiJO, 
where  the  two  peninsulas  are  very  well  represented  in  outline. 

*  The  names  of  the  tribes  thus  far  visited  by  Nicolet,  and  their 
relative  positions,  are  r,hown  in  the  following  from  Vimont  {Re- 
laiim,  1G40,  p.  ;M),  except  that  the  "  cheueux  releuez  "  were  not 
called  upon  by  him  until  his  return : 

"  I'ay  dit  (pi'a  I'entree  du  ])remier  do  ces  Lacs  se  rencontrent  les 
ITurons  ;  les  quittans  pour  voguer  plus  haut  dans  le  lac,  on  truue 
au  Nord  les  Ouasouarim,  plus  haut  sont  les  Outchougai,  plus  haut 
encore  a  I'embouchure  du  fleuue  qui  vient  du  Lac  Nipisin  sont 
les  Atchiligouan.     Au  dehl  sur  les  mesmes  riues  de  cesle  mer 


I      I 


11 


54 


DISCOVERY   OV   TllH   ^'UllTIIWEST. 


From  Lake  Huron  they  had  entered  npon  one  of  the 
cliannel^i  of  tlie  niaii'iiilicent  water-way  leading'  out 
from  Lake  Superior,  and  threaded  tlieir  way,  now 
through  narrow  ra[)ids,  now  aeross  (as  it  were)  little 
lakes,  now  around  heautiful  islands,  to  within  fifteen 
miles  of  the  largest  expanse  of  fresh  water  on  the 
glolje — stretehing  away  in  its  grandeur  to  the  west- 
ward, a  distanee  of  full  four  hundred  miles.^  K"ieo- 
let  saw  heyoiid  him  the  falls;  around  him  elusters  of 
wiirwams,  whieh  two  eenturies  and  a  half  have 
changed  into  puhlic  l)uildings  and  jtrivate  resi- 
dences, into  churches  and  warehouses,  into  offices  and 
j^tol•es — in  short,  into  a  i)leasantly-situated  American 
village,'^  frequently  visited  hy  steamhoats  carrying 
valualtle  freight  and  crowded  with  parties  of  pleas- 
ure. The  portage  around  the  falls,  where,  in  early 
times,  the  Indian  carried  his  birch-hark  canoe,  has 
given  place  to  an  excellent  canal.  Such  are  the 
changes  which  "the  course  of  empire"  continually 

douce  soiit  Ips  Aniikoiiai,  on  la  nation  clu  Castor,  nu  8u(l  dosqnels 
est  vno  Isle  dans  costc  mot"  douce  longiio  d'enuiron  trcnto 
lioni'S  habitce  des  Outaouan,  ce  sont  poiiplos  vonus  do  la  nation 
deschc'uciix  releuez.  Apros  Ics  Amikouai  sur  Ics  mcsmes  riues 
du  giand  lac  sont  los  Oinnisagai,  qu'on  passe  ponr  venir  il  Baou- 
iclitigouin,  c'ost  ti  dire,  u  la  nation  dcs  gons  du  Sault,  ]>ource 
qu'on  ofl'oct  il  y  a  va  !Sault  (jui  soiette  en  cetendroit  dans  la  mer 
douce." 

^  Lake  Superior  is  distinctly  marked  on  r'hamplain's  map  of 
IfiiVJ,  whei'e  it  appears  as  "  ( Jrand  i^ac'  Was  it  seen  by  Nicolot? 
This  is  a  (juestion  which  uill  probably  never  be  answered  to  the 
satisfaction  of  the  historian. 

^  Sault  Saiiite  !>rarie  (pronounced  aoo-saini-mnrji),  oonnty-soat  of 
Chijipcwa  county,  Mii'higan,  lifteea  miles  below  the  outlet  of 
]jako  Superior. 


1 


1 


1 


^•IC0L1•:T    DISCOVEllS   THE   NOUTIIWKST. 


55 


brino-s   to    view   in   "the  vast,  illimitaUo,  changing 

NicoU^t  tarried  among  "  the  PcopU'  of  tlie  Falls," 
prohahly,  hut  a  l)rief  period.     His  voyage,  after  leav- 
ing them,  must  have  been  to  him  one  of  great  inter- 
est.     He    returned    down    the    strait,    passing,   it    is 
thought,  through  the  western  -detour"  to  Macki- 
naw.^    :N"ot  very  many  miles  brought  him  to  "the 
second   fresh-water   sea,"    Lake   Michigan.-      He   is 
fairly  entitled  to  the  honor  of  its  discovery;  for  no 
white  nnui  had  ever  before  looked  out  upon  its  broad 
expanse.     Xicolet  was  soon  gliding  along  ui>on  the 
clear  wat(M-s  of  this  out-of-the-way  link  in  the  great 
chain    of    lakes.     The    bold    Frenchman    fearlessly 
threaded  his  way  along  its  northern  shore,  frecpiently 
stoppini.^  u[.on  what  is   now   known   as  "the  upper 
peninsula"  of  Michigan,  nntil   thi^bay  of  Xocjuet^ 

1  The  Straits  of  Mackinaw  connect  Lake  Michigan  with  Lake 
Huron.  Of  the  word  "Mackinaw,"  there  are  many  synonyms 
to  be  found  upon  the  pag.'s  of  American  history:  Mackinac, 
Micliilbnakinaw,  Michillimakinac,  :\richilimakina,  ISIichiliaki- 
mawk,  Michilinaa.iuina,  Miscilemackina,  Miselimackinack,  Mis- 
ilemakinak,  Tkli<silimakina,  Missilimakinac,  MissiUmakinak,  Mis- 
silimaquina,  Missihmaiiuinak,  etc. 

■^Machihifxaningwas  the  Indian  name;  called  by  the  French 
at  an  earlv  dav,  Mitchiganon— sometimes  the  Lake  of  the  Illi- 
nois, Lake  St.\Tosei)h.  or  Lake  Dauphin.  I  know  of  no  earlier 
representation  of  this  Inkc  than  that  on  Du  Creux'  map  of 
IGijO.  It  is  there  named  the  "  Magnus  Lacus  Algoncpiinorum, 
sen  Lacus  Foetetium  [Foetentium]."  This  is  equivalent  to  Treat 
AlL'onquin  Lake,  or  Like  of  the  Puants;  that  is,  Winnebago 
Lake.  On  a  map  by  Joliet,  recently  published  by  Gabriel  Oravier, 
it  is  called  "  Lac  des  Illinois  ou  ^lissihiganin." 

3  Bay  du  Noquet,  or  Noque.    That  the  "  small  lake"  visited  by 
Nicolet  was,  in  fact,  this  bay,  is  rendered  probable  by  the  phrase- 


1   I ' 


iHscovi^ia'  OK  TiiK  xoirnnvEST. 


II 
11 


II 


I 


was  reuclicd,  wliicli  is,  in  reality,  a  northern  arm  of 
Green  bay.'  Here,  upon  its  northern  border,  lie  vis- 
ite<l  another  Alu'on([nin  trihi^;^  also  one  living  to  the 
northward  of  this  ''small  lake.""^  These  tribes  never 
navigated  those  waters  any  great  distanee,  bnt  lived 
n[»()n  the  fruits  of  the  earth.*  ^faking  his  way  np 
(ireen  bav,  he  finallv  reached  the  !N[enonionec  river, 
its  principal  northern  affluent/' 


ology  employed  by  Vimont  in  the  Relation  of  1640,  p.  35.  He 
says:  "  Pasising  this  small  lake  [from  the  Sault  -Sainte  ^larie], 
wc  enter  into  the  second  fresh-water  sea  [Lake  Michigan  and 
Oreen  bay]."  It  is  true  Vimont  speaks  of  "tlie  small  lake"  as 
lying  "  beyond  the  falls;"  but  his  moaning  is,  "  nearer  the  Win- 
nebagoes."  If  taken  literally,  his  words  would  indicate  a  lake 
fui'ther  up  the  stiait,  above  the  Sault  Sainte  Marie,  nieanijig 
Lake  Superioi-,  which,  of  course,  would  not  answer  the  destM'ip- 
tion  of  a  small  lake.  It  must  be  remembered  that  the  mission- 
ary was  writing  at  his  home  upon  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  was 
giving  his  description  from  his  standpoint. 

'Synonyms:  La  Baye  des  Eaux  Puantes,  La  Baye,  Enitajghe 
(Iroquois),  Bale  des  Puants,  La  Grande  Baie,  Bay  des  Tuants. 

^Called  the  Roquai,  by  Vimont,  in  the  RclaWm  of  1040,  p.  34— 
probably  the  Xoquets— afterwards  classed  with  the  Chippewas. 

•''('ailed  the  Mantoue  in  the  nelali>")  just  cited.  They  were 
probably  the  Nantoue  of  the  Rdnl'ton  of  lOTl,  or  Mantoueouee 
of  the  map  attached  thereto.  They  are  mentioned,  at  that  date, 
as  living  near  the  Fo.\es,  In  the  Tlihition  of  1073,  they  are  desig- 
nated as  the  Makoueoue,  still  residiniz  near  the  Foxes. 

*"Au  dela  de  ce  Sault  on  trouue  le  petit  lac,  sur  les  bords  du- 
quel  du  coste  du  Xord  sont  les  Roquai.  Au  Nord  do  ceux-ey 
soiit  Mantoue,  cos  peuplos  no  natii«:ent  guiere,  viuans  des  fruicts 
dela  terre." — Vimont,  Ju-.Jation,  1040,  pp.  34,  .'5"). 

*The  Menomonee  river  forms  a  part  of  the  northeastern 
boundary  of  Wisconsin,  running  in  a  southeasterly  direction 
between  this  state  and  ^Michigan,  and  emptying  into  Green  bay 
on  the  northwest  side.     The  earliest  location,  on  a  map,  of  a 


NICOLET   DISCOVEllS   THE  NORTHWEST. 


In  the  valloy  of  the  Monomonoe,  Nicolot  met 
a  populous  tribe  of  Indians— the  Menomouees.^  To 
his  surprise,  no  doubt,  he  found  they  were  of  a  lighter 
complexion  than  any  other  savages  he  had  ever  seen. 
Their  language  was  difficult  to  understand,  yet  it 
showed  the  nation  to  be  of  the  Algonquin  stock.  Their 
food  was  largely  of  wild  rice,  which  grew  in  great 
abundance  in  tlieir  country.  They  were  adepts  in 
fishing,  and  liunted,  with  skill,  the  game  which 
iil)Oun(led  in  the  forests.  They  had  their  homes  and 
huntin«»'  grounds  upon  the  stream  which  still  bears 

their  name.'^ 

Nicolet  soon  resumed  his  journey  toward  the  AVin- 
nebagoes,  who  had  already  been  made  aware  of  his 
near  approach  ;  for  he  had   sent  forward  one  of  his 

Mcnomonee  villuixo,  is  that  givon  by  Cluirlevoix  on  his  "Carte 
des  Laos  du  Canada,"  accompanying  liis  "  lliirtoire  ct  Description 
Genorale  de  la  Nouvelle  France,"  Vol.  I.,  Paris,  1744.  The  vil- 
lage ('des  Malonines")  is  placed  at  the  mouth  of  the  river,  on 
what  is  now  the  Michigan  side  of  the  stream. 

1  Synonyms:  Maroumine,  Onmalouminek,  Oumaominiecs,  Mal- 
honii'nies,— meaning,  in  Algoncpiin,  wild  rice  {/"Azania  a<iuatica  of 
Linnmus).  The  French  called  tliis  grain  wild  oats— folles  avoino ; 
honce  thoy  gave  the  name  of  Les  Folles  Avoine  to  the  Me- 
nomonees, 

"  Passant  ce  plus  petit  lac,  on  entre  dans  la  seconde  mer  douce, 
sur  les  riues  de  latiuellc  sont  les  Maroumine."— Vimont,  llda- 
tlon,  1040,  p.  o5. 

2  1  have  drawn,  for  this  description  of  the  Menomonees,  upon 
the  earliest  accounts  preserved  of  them  ;  but  these  are  of  dates 
some  years  subsequent  to  Nicolet's  visit.  (Compare  Marquette's 
account  in  liis  published  narrative,  by  Shea  )  Vimont  seems  not 
♦o  have  derived  any  knowledge  of  them  from  ^icolet,  beside  the 
simpU^  fact  of  his  having  visited  them ;  at  least,  he  says  nothing 
further  in  the  .Relation  of  1<)4(>. 


:\\. 


J    I" 


I  111 


58 


DISCOVl^llY   OF   TllK   NOKTIIWKST. 


ITuvons  to  carry  tlio  news  of  his  coining  and  of  his 
mission  of  peace.  The  lucsseiigcr  and  his  niessagi' 
were  well  received.  Tlie  Wlunehag'oes  dispatclied 
several  of  tlieir  young  men  to  meet  tlie '' wonderful 
man."  They  go  to  liim — they  escort  liim — they  carry 
his  hao-f'-ai'V.^  lie  was  ch)thed  in  a  hir^e  ganuent  of 
Chinese  damask,  sprinkled  with  flowers  and  l)irds  of 
different  colors.^     But,  wliy  thus  attired  ?     Tossil^ly, 

»"T\vo  (lays'  journey  from  this  tribo  [the  Winnebagoos],  lie 
sent  one  of  his  savages,"  etc.— Vimont,  Jielatio)),  1643,  p.  3.  This 
^vas  just  the  distance  from  the  Monomonees.  Du  Creux,  al- 
though following  the  Rdailm  of  1<)43,  makes  Xicolet  an  amhas- 
sador  of  the  TTurons,  for  he  says  (Hist.  Canada,  p.  300):  "When 
he  [Xicolet]  was  two  days  distant  [from  the  Winnebagoes],  he 
sent  forward  one  of  his  own  company  to  make  known  to  the  na- 
tion to  which  tliey  were  going,  that  a  European  ambassador  was 
approacliing  with  gifts,  who,  in  behalf  of  the'llurons,  desired  to 
seciu'e  their  friend-liip."  But  tlie  following  is  the  account,of  Vi- 
mont {Udallon,  1643,  p.  3),  from  the  time  of  Xicolet's  d(>pavture 
from  the  Huron  villages  to  his  b;'ing  met  by  the  young  men  of 
the  Winnebagoes: 

"  lis  \Nicolct  and  /lis  .tcmi  Ilurons']  passerent  par  quantite  de 
pelites  nations,  en  allant  eten  reuenant;  lorsqu'ils  y  arriuoieiit, 
ils  lichoient  deu.x;  bastons  en  terre,  au(iuel  ils  pendoient  des  pre- 
sens,  afin  d'oster  a  ees  pouples  la  pensee  de  les  prendre  pour  en- 
nemis  et  de  les  massacrer.  A  deux  iournees  de  cette  nation,  il 
enuoya  vn  do  ees  Sauuages  porter  la  nouuelU^  de  la  paix,  laquelle 
fut  bien  receue,  nommi'ment  quand  on  entendit  que  c'estoit  vn 
European  qui  portoit  la  parob*.  On  depescha  plusieurs  ieunes 
gens  poiu"  aller  an  deuant  du  IManitouiriniou,  c'est  a  dire  de 
riionmie  merueilleux;  on  y  vient  on  le  conduit,  on  porte  tout 
son  bagage." 

2  Compare  Parkman's  "  Discovery  of  the  Great  West,"  p.  xx. 
"  11  [NicolrQ  estoit  veuestu  d'vne  gvande  robe  de  damas  de  la 
Chine,  toute  jiar'^emee  de  fleurs  et  d'oyseaux  de  diuerses  coul- 
eurs." — Vimont,  liclaiion,  1()43,  p.  3. 


\ 


NICOLET    DISCO VKUS  THE   NOllTUWEST.  ol> 

he  li'ul  vcaclicd  tlio  far  oast  ;  lio  was,  really,  in  what 
is  no'w  the  State  of  Wi^coumu:     Possibly,  a  i.arty  ot 
maiidarins  would  soon  g-reet  liim  and  welcome  Imu  to 
Catliay.     And  this  robe— tliis  dress  ot    eereniony— 
was  brought  all  the  way  frmn  Quebec,  doubtless,  with 

"wi^n^iThikcs  its  name  from  its  principal  river,  which 
drains  an  extensive  portion  of  its  surrace.     J  t  ris..  h^  Lake  V.eux 
Desert  (which  is  partly  in  Michigan  and  partly  m  W  isconsm), 
flows  generally  a  south  course  to  Portage,  in  what  is  now  Colum- 
bia county,  where  it  turns  to  the  southwest,  and,  after  a  further 
course  of  one  hundred  and  eighteen  miles,  with  a  rapid  current, 
reaches  the  Mississippi  river,  four  miles  below  Prairie  du  Chien 
Its  entire  lenmh  is  about  four  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  descend- 
in",    in  that  distance,  a  little   more  than   one  thousand  feet. 
Ah^ng  the  lower  portion  of  the  stream  are  the  lugh  lands  or 
river  hills.     Some  of  these  hills  present  high  and  pi-ecipitous 
faces  towards  the  water.    Others  terminate  in  knobs.     1  he  n.une 
is  supposed  to  have  been  taken  from  this  feature;    the  ^^ord 
bein.'  derived  from  mis-si,  great,  and  os-sin,  a  stone  or  rock._ 

Com,>are  Shea's  Di-.-orery  and  Exploration  of  the  Mississippi  pp.  6 
(note/and  2i'.8 ;  Foster's  Mississippi  Valley,  p.  2  (note);  Schoo.- 
craft's  Thirty  Years  iciih  the  Indian  Trilcs,  p.  220  and  note  _ 

Two  definitions  of  the  word  are  current-as  widely  dit^enng 
from  each  other  as  from  the  one  just  given  (See  ^^  -•  "^^  >"^°^ 
Coll  Vol  I  p.  Ill,  and  Webster's  Die,  Unabridged,  p.  lb.2.) 
The 'first-"  the  gathering  of  the  waters  "-has  no  corresponding 
words  in  Algonquin  at  all  resembVing  the  name;  "^-^ 
be  said  of  the  second-"  wild  rushmg  channel.  (See  Otchipwe 
Die  of  Rev.  F.  Baraga.)  . 

Since  first  med  by  the  Froncl,,  the  word  "  Wisconsin  has  un- 
dergone  considonvWo  cl.ango.  0„  tho  map  by  Johet,  recent  jr 
bro:,ht  to  light  by  Gravior,  it  is  given  as  '  M.skons,ng.  I 
Marquette's  jonrnal,  published  by  'l-hevenol,  ■"/-■;^.  «»  '  ^  ^ 
„ot.i  as  the  ••  Meskousing."  It  appeared  there  for  the  ns  t  n  e 
innrint  Hennepin,  in  1C.83,  wrote  "Oniseonsm  and  JI  =,con- 
s","  Charlevoix, 'n«,  ••  Ouiseonsing ;"  Carver,  l'-'-'^..  "  O-con- 
shi"  (Unglish-"  Wiscor.sin"):sinco  vviiicU  last  mentioned  date, 
the  ortliography  has  been  uniform. 


(io 


]»IS<'OVKKY    01'    TlIK    N'uRTHWRriT. 


' 


'ii:: 


a  viow  to  siic'li  eoiitinjjonr'v.  As  Boon  as  ho  camo  in 
sight,  all  tlio  women  and  chi](h'en  lied,  seeing  a  man 
carrvinii:  thnnder  in  his  two   hands  ;  for  thus  it  was 

I/O  ' 

they  called  his  pistols,  which  lie  discharged  on  his 
riiiht  and  on  his  left. ^  He  was  amanito!  Nicolet's 
journey  was,  for  the  present,  at  an  end.  ITo  and  liis 
Huron's  "  rested  from  their  lahors,"  among  the  AVin- 
nehagoes,^  who  were  located  around  the  liead  of 
Green   bay,^  contiguous   to  the  point  where  it  re- 

'  " 8i  tost  qu'on  rupiieiceut  toutes  los  feinmos  et  los  enfuns 
s'enfuireiit,  vovant  vn  Iiomme  porter  le  tonnerre  en  ses  doiix 
mains  (cost  ainsi  (lu'ils  nonnnoient  tleux  pistolets  qu'il  tenoit)." 
— N'iniont,  Itchttion,  1()4.'5,  p.  .'}. 

Du  Croux  ( I  Fist.  Canada,  p.  300)  has  this  rendering  of  Vimont's 
hmguage:  "  Ho  [Nicolet]  carried  in  each  hand  a  small  pistol. 
When  ho  ha  I  discharged  these  (for  he  must  have  done  this, 
though  the  French  author  does  not  mention  the  fact),  the  more 
timid  persons,  boys  and  women,  betook  themselves  to  flight,  to 
escape  as  (piickly  as  possible  from  a  man  who  (they  said)  car- 
ried the  thunder  in  both  his  hands."  And  thus  Parkman  ('•  Dis- 
covery of  the  Great  West,"  p.  xx.) :  "  [Nicolet]  advanced  to  meet 
the  expectant  crowd  with  a  pistol  in  each  hand.  The  squaws 
and  children  fled,  screaming  that  it  was  a  manito,  or  spirit, 
armed  with  thunder  and  lightning." 

^Synonyms:  Ouiiiipigou,  Ouinbegouc,  Ouinipegouc,  Ouenibe- 
goutz — Gens  do  Mer,  Gens  do  Eaux  de  !Mer— Des  Puans,  Des 
Puants,  La  Nation  des  Puans,  La  Nation  des  Puants,  Des  Gens 
Puants. 

By  the  Hurons,  this  nation  was  known  as  A8eatsi8aenrrhonon 
(Jiddtion,  103^,  p.  92);  by  the  Sioux,  as  Ontonkah;  but  they 
called  themselves  Otchagras,  llochungara,  Ochungarand,  or 
IJoroji. 

'Champlain's  map  of  1632  gives  them  that  location.  La  Jeune 
{liclation,  1G30,  p.  5o)  approximates  their  locality  thus: 

.  .  .  "  Nousauons  aussi  i)ense  d'appliquer  quelques-vns  a  la 
connoissance  de  nouuelles  langues.  Nous  iettions  les  yeux  sur 
trois  autres  des  Peuples  plus  voisins:  sur  celle  des  Algonquains, 


l\ 


KICULET   DISCOVERS   THE   NORTHWEST. 


61 


■ 


ceives  the  waters  of  Fox  river.^  Nicolct  found 
tlio  Wimiohagoes  a  Jiiiinerous   and   ecdeiitiiry   poo- 

es])ars  de  tons  costez,  ct  au  Midy,  ct  au  Septentrion  do  nostre 
grand  Lac;  sur  celle  do  la  Nation  ncutro,  fjui  est  vne  maistresse 
porte  pour  les  pais  moridionaux,  et  surcollo  do  la  Nation  dcs 
Puants,  qui  est  vn  passage  dcs  plus  considorablcs  pour  les  pais 
Occidentaux,  vn  peu  jjIus  Septcutrionaux." 

"  We  [the  missionaries]  have  also  thought  of  applying  our- 
selves, some  of  us,  to  the  task  of  acquiring  a  knowledge  of  new 
languages.  AVo  turn. our  eyes  on  throe  otiier  nations  nearer:  on 
that  of  the  Algonquins,  scattered  on  every  side,  both  to  the  south 
and  north  of  our  great  lake  [Huron];  on  that  of  tho  Neuter 
nation,  which  affords  a  principal  entrance  to  tho  countries  on 
south;  and  on  that  of  the  nation  of  tho  Puants  [Winnebagoes], 
which  is  one  of  the  more  important  thoroughfares  to  tho  west- 
ern countries,  a  little  more  northern." 

*  Fox  river  heads  in  the  northeastern  part  of  Columbia  county, 
Wisconsin,  and  in  the  adjoining  portions  of  Green  Lake  county. 
Flowing,  at  first,  southwest  and  then  due  west,  it  approaches  the 
AVisconsin  at  Portage,  county-seat  of  Columbia  comity.  When 
within  less  than  two  miles  of  that  river,  sejiarated  from  it  by 
only  a  low,  sandy  plain— tho  famous  "  portage"  of  early  days — 
it  turns  abruptly  northward,  and  with  a  sluggish  current,  con- 
tinues on  this  course,  for  twelve  miles,  to  tho  head  of  Lako  Buf- 
falo, in  the  southern  part  of  which  is  now  Marquette  county, 
Wisconsin.  It  now  begins  a  wide  curve,  which  brings  its  direc- 
tion finally  around  due  oast.  Lako  P.uffalo  is  merely  an  expan- 
sion of  the  river,  thirteen  and  one-half  miles  long  and  half  a 
mile  wide.  From  the  foot  of  this  lako,  the  river  runs  in  an  ir- 
regular, easterly  course,  with  a  somewhat  rapid  current,  to  the 
head  of  Puckaway  lake,  which  is  eight  and  one-fourth  miles  in 
length,  and  from  one  to  two  miles  wide.  At  tho  foot  of  this 
lake  there  are  wide  marshes  through  which  the  river  leaves  on 
the  north  side,  and,  after  making  a  long,  narrow  bend  to  the 
west,  begins  a  northeast  stretch,  which  it  continues  for  a  consid- 
erable distance,  passing,  after  receiving  the  waters  of  Wolf  river, 
around  in  a  curve  to  the  southeast  through  Big  Butte  De.s  Morts 


f\ 


G'2 


i)iS(;ovj;jiv  of  tiik  nouthwk.st. 


«: 


pU',^  HpcakiiiLi:  ji  liiiiiT'iJigo  I'adically  (lilTeront  from 
any  of  tlio  Aljji'oiHiuiii  nations,  ua  wi'll  im  from 
tlio  ]Iiirons.2  They  woro  of  tlio])akot:i  Flook.''  Tlio 
news  of  tlio  Fivnc'lnnan's  coining  spi-cad  tliroiigli 
llio  coiintiT.  Fonroriivc  tliousand  people  assembled 
of  diU'cront  trilu's/     Kadi  of  tiie  cliicfs  gave  a  l)an- 

l;ik(\  luid  it'.icliiiig  Lake  Winnebago,  into  which  it  Hows  at  the 
city  of  O.-liko.^li. 

Tli(>  river  h-avcs  ^Vinnohago  lakf  in  two  ohannols,  at  tho  cities 
of  Mciiiislia  and  Xociiaii,  llowiiig  in  a  ni'st(«rly  course  to  the  Lit- 
tle ]!iiUo  Dc'S  ]\[<irt.s  lake,  and  tlirongh  tho  hitter  in  a  north 
course,  whon  it  soon  takes  a  northeasterly  diieclii)n,  whiih 
it  holds  until  it  empties  into  the  head  of  Green  buy. 
Tho  stream  gets  its  iiamn  from  the  Fox  trilie  of  Indians 
formerly  residing  in  its  v.dley.  Upon  Champlain's  map  of  ]i',Z'2, 
it  is  not(Ml  as  "  lilviere  (Uv-?  INians  ;"'  that  is,  "  T'iver  of  tho  Pn- 
ans" — Winnebago  river.  Tlie  name  Neenah  (water),  sometimes 
a]>plied  to  it,  is  a  misnomer. 

•  "  Plus  auant  encore  snr  les  mesmes  rines  hahitent  les  Oiiini- 
pigon  [Winnehagoes],  ])euples  sedentaires  (|ui  sont  en  giand 
nomhro." — Vimont,  licladon,  ]()!(),  j).  ;J5. 

'■^"  Tousces  peuples  entendent  I'Algoncjnin,  oxeejtteles  TFnrons, 
qui  ont  vne  langtio  a.  i)Mrt,  eommo  aussi  les  Oinnipigou  [Winne- 
hagoes] on  gens  do  nn-r.  ' — lliid. 

^  The  Winnehagoes  and  some  hands  of  Sionx  were  the  oidy 
Dakotas  that  crossed  tho  Mississippi  in  their  migratory  move- 
ment eastward. 

*  Says  Vimont  (/it'^tt//oH,  IH-LI,  pp.  ,'),  -1);  "La  nonnelle  do  sa 
ventii"  s'espandit  incontinent  anx  lieu  eireoimoisins :  il  se  lit  vne 
assemblee,  de  quartre  on  ein<|  mil!e  honnnes." 

But  this  number  is  lessened  somewhat  by  the  Jldatlon  of  lOfiG 

"Vn  Francois  m'a  dit  atitrefois,  qu'il  anoit  veu  trois  mille 
homines  dans  vne  assemblee  (jui  se  iit  pour  trailer  do  paix,  au 
Pais  uos  gens  (h;  Mer." 

"A  Frenchman  [Nieolet]  tohl  me  come  time  ago,  that  he  had 
seen  three  thousand  men  together  in  one  assemblage,  for  the 


NICOLKT    IJISCOVKII;^   TlIK   IsOUTIIWEST. 


03 


(Miot.     One  of  llio  sachems  regaled  ]ua  picr^ts  ^vUU  at 
Irast  one  Imiulred  and  t'A'oiity  beavoiv.'     Tlio  largo 
asseiiil)lai'-o  was  proliiic  of  ppeeelies  and  feivmonies. 
Nk-olet  did  not  fail  to  "  speak  of  peace  "  iU>ou  tliat 
iutercstiiig  oeeasion.*     Ho  urged  upon  tlie  nation  llio 
advantages    of  an    alliance,   rather   than    war,  witli 
the  nations  to  the  eastward  of  Lake  Ilnron.     Tliey 
:,HT.>ed  to  keep  tho  peaco  with  tho  JInrons,  Xez  Per- 
i-Js,  and,possil)ly,  other  tribes;  hnt,  soon  after  Xico- 
Ic't's  return,  they  sent  out  war  parties  agiiinsttho  Beaver 
r.alion.  Douhtlessthoadvantagesof  trade  with  the  col- 
ony upon  tho  St.  Lawrence  wero  depicted  in  glowing 
colors  hy  tho  Frenclnuan.     But  tho  courageous  Xor- 
nian  was  not  satisticd  with  a  visit  to  tho  AVinnchngoes 
only.     ITo  must  seo  tho  neighhoring  tribes.     So  ho 
ascended  tho  Fox  river  of  Green  bay  to  Winnebago 
].ike— passing  through  which,  ho  again  entered  that 
stream,  paddling  liis  eanoo  up  its  current,  until  he 
reached  tho  homes  of  tho  ^rascoutins,"'  tho  iirst  tribe 


purpnsi^  of  nuiking  a  treaty  of  peace  in  the  country  of  tho  Tco- 
pU>  of  the  Sea  [Winnehagoes]." 

i"Cliaciin(lc-s  principaux  fit  son  festin,  en  Vvn  (lescpiels  on 
s.>n.il  an  nioins  six-vin-ts  Castors."— Vimont,  Hclatimi,  ]0t;;,  p.  4. 

•^  Sh(M  ("  Discovery  and  Exploration  of  the  [Mississippi  VaHey," 
p  2i»)  has  evidently  caught  the  true  idea  of  Nieolct's  mission  to 
th<.  Winnehagoes.  He  says:  "  With  these  [Winnebagoes]  Nico- 
h't  entered  into  friendly  relations." 

8  Synonyms:  Maseoutens,  Maskoutens,  Maskouteins,  Musque- 
tens  Mae'hkoutens,  Maskoutench,  etc.  They  were  called  by  the 
French,  "  hes  Gens  de  Feu  "—the  Nation  of  Fire ;  by  the  Ilurons, 
"Assistagueronons"  ov  "Atsistaehronons,"  from  a.ms(a,  five  and 
ro,w„s,  people;  that  is,  Fire-People  or  Fire-Nation.  P.y  Cham- 
plain  they  were  noted,  in  lG3i>,  as  "  Los  Gens  de  Feu  a  Bistaguer- 


i\ 


t 


:.;  i 


1    '. 
i  ,i 


u 


DISCOVKllV    OF   Till';   iXoUTII WKST. 


fi' 


'    ! 


to  In'  met  witli  Jifti'i'  Icjiviiiu:  tlio  "Winncbagocs;  for 
tlio  files' and  Foms- Avcro  not  iTsidoiits  of  wliat  is 
now  AVisc'ons'm  at  tluit  jx-riod, — tlioir  iiii^n'ation 
tliitlicr,  from  tlio  cast,  liaving  Locii  at  a  Hiil>s('(|Uoiit 
date.  Kii'oU't  liad  navij;-ati'd  tlio  Fox  river,  a  nix- 
diivs'  iounu'V,  sinco  loaviiis^  tlio  Wiiniol)ai»-o('s.^ 

oiions"  (Ml  liismnp.  This  is  a  misprint  for  "Assistiigueroaoiis,"  as 
his  •'  Voyagi's"  of  that  year  shows.    J.,  p.  2  'J  [  'JTli  |. 

"'i'lic.  Kiro  Nation  hv.ws  this  nnino  cn'oiiconsly,  callinj;  them- 
selves !^raskoiit(Mich,  wliich  signifies  'a  land  hare  of  troes,'  such 
as  tliat  whicli  thoso  people  inhabit;  but  beoauso  by  tho  cliiuige. 
of  a  few  letters,  the  same  word  signifies,  'tiro,'  from  th(>iu'e  it 
has  come  that  they  are  called  the  '  Fire  Nation.'  " — lidation,  lOTl, 
p.  4">. 

'  Synonyms  :  Sauks,  Saukis,  Ousakis,  Sakys,  etc. 

'Synonyms:  (Jiitagamis,  bos  T'cnarils,  Mustpiakies. 

"  The  distance  by  days  np  the  Fox  river  of  (iieen  bay  from  the 
Winnebagoes  to  the  Mascoutins,  is  given  in  accordance  with  the 
earliest  acconnts  of  canoe  navigation  upon  that  stream.  'J'ho 
fnst  white  persons  to  pass  np  the  liver  after  Nieolet  were  Aliouez 
and  liis  attendants,  in  April,  IGTO.  That  missionary  {Iteldiun, 
1670,  pp.  90,  <I7,  99),  says: 

"The  10th  of  April  [1070],  T  embarked  to  go  and  commence 
the  mission  of  theOutaganiis  [Fox  Indians],  a  people  well  known 
in  all  th<'so  parts.  We  were  lying  at  the  liead  of  the  bay  [Cjlreen 
bay],  at  the  entrance  of  the  River  of  the  Puants  [Fox  river], 
which  we  have  named  'St.  Fiaiici.s;'  in  jiassing,  we  saw  clouds  of 
swans,  bustards,  and  ducks;  the  savages  take  them  in  nets  at 
the  liead  of  the  bay,  where  they  catch  as  many  as  fifty  in  a 
night;  this  game,  in  the  autumn,  seek  the  wild  rice  that  the 
wind  has  shaken  off  in  the  month  of  September. 

"  The  17th  [of  April  of  the  same  year],  we  went  up  the  River 
St.  Francis  [  the  Fox] — two  and  sometimes  three  ai'pens  wide. 
After  liaving  a<lvanced  four  leagues,  we  found  the  village  of  the 
savages  named  Saky  [Sacs,  Saukis,  or  Sauk-;],  who  began  a  work 
that  merits  well  here  to  have  its  place.  From  one  side  of  the 
river  to  the  other,  they  made  a  barricade,  planting  great  stakes. 


NICULKT    I)ISC()\'i:US    Till:   NOUTUWKST. 


65 


The  MjiHcoutins,  as  we  luivc  seen,  were  lieanl  of 
by  Cliiiii4>lirm  as  early  as  I  (JIT),  as  Ix'iiiii^  enijiaijed  in  a 
war  with    the  Xeiiter  nation  and  tlie  Ottawas.     JJut, 

two  ffttlinius  IVoui  llu!  wattT,  in  siu'h  a  niainier  that  tlnMv  is,  as 
it  wei'o,  Ji  bridge  above  for  the  linhfrs,  who,  by  the  ai<l  oi'  a  littlo 
bow-net,  easily  take  sturgeons  anil  all  other  kinds  of  iish  which 
this  pier  stops,  although  the  water  th)es  not  cease  to  How  between 
the  slakes.  They  eall  this  device  Mitihikan  ["  Mitchiganen" 
or  "  Machiliiganing,"  now  "Michigan"];  they  make  use  of  it  in 
the  spring  and  a  part  of  the  suniincr. 

"  Tlie  IHth  [of  the  same  month],  we  made  the  portage  which 
they  call  Kekaling  [alterwanls  variously  spelled,  anil  pronounced 
"Cock-o-lin  ;"  meaning,  it  is  said,  the  place  of  the  Iish.  In  the 
fall  of  18)1,  a  village  was  laid  out  there,  which  is  known  as  Kau- 
kaiu)a|;  our  sailors  drew  the  canoe  through  the  rapids;  I 
walked  on  th(>  bank  of  tiie  river,  where  I  found  apiilo-trees  and 
vine  stocks  [grape  vines]  in  abundance. 

"Tlie  lUth  [April],  our  sailors  ascended  the  rapids,  by  using 
poles,  for  two  leagU(\s.  I  wont  by  land  as  far  as  the  other  port- 
age, which  they  call  Oukocitiming;  that  is  to  say,  the  highway. 
Wo.  observed  this  same  day  the  eclipse  of  the  sun,  predicted  by 
th(!  astrologers,  which  lasted  from  mid-day  until  two  o'clock. 
The  third,  or  near  it,  of  the  body  of  the  sun  appeared  eclipsed; 
the  other  two-thirds  formed  a  crescent.  We  arrived,  in  the  eve- 
ning, at  the  entrance  of  the  Lake  of  the  Puants  [Winnebago 
lake],  which  we  have  called  Lake  St.  Francis;  it  is  about  twelve 
leagues  long  and  four  wide;  it  is  situated  from  north-northeast 
to  south-southwest ;  it  abounds  in  fish,  but  uninhabited,  on  ac- 
count of  the  Nardoiiecis  [Sioux],  who  are  here  dreaded. 

"  The  2()th  [of  April,  1070],  which  was  on  Sunday,  I  said  mas.s, 
after  having  navigated  five  or  six  leagues  in  the  lake;  after 
which,  we  arrived  in  a  river  [the  Fox,  at  what  is  now  Oshkosh], 
that  comes  from  a  lake  of  wild  rice  [Big  Butte  Dos  Morts  lake], 
which  we  came  into;  at  the  foot  [head]  of  which  we  found  the 
river  [the  Wolf]  which  leads  to  the  Outagamis  [Fox  Indians]  on 
one  side,  and  that  [the  Fox]  which  leads  to  the  Machkoutenck 
G 


.1  ii 


ill 


111 


GO 


DISCOVEUY   OF   TllK   NUUTIIWEST. 


up  to  tlic  time  of  X'u'olot's  visit,  iiiid  for  ji  number  of 
3'i'ars  sul)so<jiK'iit  (as  lu'  nuvr  no  riiu'  liinisolf  tv)  tlieir 
l(H-alitv),  tiicy  witc!  only  known  as  livinjj:  two  liun- 
(Iri'd  leairiu's  or  more  l»rvoii(l  the  last  mentioncMl 
tril)e — that  is,  that  distance  beyond  the  south  vud  of 
tlie  (leoru'ian  bay  of  Lake  Huron.'  Their  villau'es 
wvi'v  in  the  valley  of  the  Fox  river,  [trobably  in  what 


[Miiscoutins]  on  the  other.  Wo  entered  into  the  former  [the 
Wolf  J.     .     .     . 

"'I'lie  2Uth  [of  April  of  the  same  joar,  having  returned  from 
the  Fox  Indians  living  up  the  Wolf  riverj,  we  entered  into  the 
[Fox]  river,  whieh  leads  to  the  Maehkoutencii  [Mascoutins], 
called  Assista  Ectaeronnons,  Fire  Nation  ["(Jens  de  Feu"],  by 
the  llurons.  This  [Fox]  river  is  very  lieautifid,  without  ra[)ids 
or  portages  [above  the  mouth  of  the  Wolf];  it  Hows  to  [from] 
the  southwest. 

"Tlie;iOth  [of  April,  1070],  having  disembarked  opposite  tlie 
village  [ol'  the  Mascoutin.^],  and  lelt  our  eanoe  at  the  water's 
edge,  ai'ti'r  a  walk  of  a  league,  ovei'  beautiful  prairies,  we  per- 
ceived the  fort  [of  the  Mascoutins]." 

'Champhvin's  "  Les  Voyages  de  la  Novvelle  France,"  I.,  p. 
2G2  [272],  previously  cited.  Upon  Champlain's  Map  of  !tj.'12, 
they  are  located  beyond  and  to  the  south  of  Lake  Huron,  he 
having  no  knowledge  of  Lake  Michigan.  In  his  "Voyages," 
his  words  are:  "lis  [the  Cheveux  I{eleves — Ottawas]  sont  la 
guerre,  n  vne  autre  nation  de  Sauuages,  (|ui  s'appellent  Assist- 
ngueronon,  qui  vent  dire  gens  de  fen,  esloignez  d'eux  de  <lix 
ioiu-nees."  Sagard,  in  16.36  ("Ilistoire  <lu  Canada,"  p.  201),  is 
equally  indefinite  as  to  locality,  though  placing  them  westward 
of  the  south  end  of  the  Georgian  bay  of  Lake  Huron,  "nine  or 
ten  days'  journey  by  canoe,  which  makes  about  two  hundred 
leagues,  or  mor»\"  He  says :  "  Tt)us  essemble  [the  difVerent  bands 
of  the(  HtowasJ  sont  la  guerre  a  une  autre  nation  nonnnee  Assisia- 
giieronon,  (jui  veut  dire  gens  feu  :  car  en  langue  Iluronno  Assista 
signitie  de  feu  and  Kronon  signifie  Nation.  lis  sont  esloignez 
d'eux  ii  ce  qu'on  tient,  de  neuf  ou  dix  iournees  de  Canots,  (pii 
sont  cnuiroii  deux  cens  lieues  ct  plus  de  chemin." 


nicoli:t  discovkus  tiii-:  noutiiwkst. 


07 


is  now  Oi'ceii  Lake  count v,  AVisconsin.*  Tliov  had, 
doubtless,  for  tlicii'  neiii;lil)ors,  tlie  Mianiis^  und  Kick- 
apoos."*  Tliov  wore  a  viii:orous  and  warlike  nation,  of 
Alijconquin  stoik,  as  were  also  the  two  ti'ihes  last 
mentioned.  Xieolet,  while  among  the  Maseontins, 
heard  of  the  AVi.^eonsiu  river,  whieli  was  distant  only 
three  days'  Journey  n^)  the  tortuous  channel  of  the 
Fox.  l>ut  the  accounts  given  liini  of  that  tributary 
of  the  Mississi[>[>i  were  evidently  very  confused.  A 
reference  to  the  parent  stream  (confounded  witli  the 
Wisconsin)  as  "the  great  water," ^  by  tlie  savages, 
caused  liim  to  believe  that  he  was,  in  reality,  but 
tliree  <hiys'  journey  from  the  sea  ;  and  so  he  reported 
after  liis  return  to  the  St.  Ljiwrence.'''  Strange  to  sav, 
Xie(det  resolved  not  to  visit  this  ocean,  s.lthough,  as 
hf  lu'lieved,  so  near  its  shores. 

lie  traveled   no   further  upou  the   Fox   river,'*'  but 

'  Allouez  {lichidon,  IC70,  p.  99,  bel'Die  cited)  is  the  first  to  give 
their  position  with  any  tlegreo  of  certainty.  Unh'ss,  under 
the  name  of  "  IJasaona  koueton,'  tlie  Maseoutins  were  not  men- 
tioned l)y  Nicok't,  in  the  list  given  to  Vimont  {Juhdion,  1C4(), 
p.  .'].">).  The  "M"  should,  probably,  have  been  "M,"  thus:  "  Mu- 
saoua  koueton.' 

^Synonyms:  Miamees,  Miramis,  Myamioks,  Omianicks,  Om- 
miamies,  Oumis,  Oumiamies,  Oumiamiwek,  Oumainis,  Twight- 
wees.     As  to  their  place  of  abo(U',  see  Shea's  Hennepin,  p.  2;>S. 

'Synonyms:  Kikabou,  Kikapou,  Quicapou,  Kickapoux,  Kick- 
apous,  Kikapoux,  (Jiiicapouz,  etc. 

*  The  name  of  tiiis  river  is  from  the  Algonquin  )ntssi,  great,  and 
srpr,  watt-r,  or  river.  The  poi)ular  notion  that  it  means  "  the  fa- 
tlier  of  watfrs,'  is  erroneous. 

"  '■  Le  Sicur  Nicolet  qui  a  le  plusauant  penetredi'dans  ces  pays 
si  esl«)ignc's  m'a  asseure  que  s'il  eust  vogue  trois  iours  plus  auant 
sur  vn  gland  tleuue  qui  sort  de  cc  lac,  (lu'il  auroit  trouue  la  mer." 
— Vimont,  Jiiladon,  1(140,  p.  36. 

*  That  such  was  the  fact,  and  that  he  did  not  reach  the  Wis- 


!l' 


a 


! 


(j^ 


DISCOVERY   OF  THE   NORTHWEST. 


turned  his  course  to  the  southward.     And  the  Jesuits 
consoled   themselves,  when  they  lieard  of  his  short- 


consin  river,  is  doclucod  fioiu  the  language  of  the  Rdafinns;  also, 
Iroiii  a  considoration  of  the  length  of  the  Fox  and  Wisconsin 
rivers  below  the  "  portage,"  where  they  very  nearly  approach 
each  other;  and  from  a  study  of  the  time  usually  employed,  at 
an  early  day,  in  their  navigation.  It  has,  however,  been  exten- 
sivily  iiublished  that  Nicolet  did  reach  the  Wisconsin,  and  float 
down  its  channel  to  within  three  days  of  the  ^Mississippi.  Now, 
Nicolet,  in  s])eaking  of  a  large  river  upon  which  he  had  sailed, 
evidently  intended  to  convey  the  idea  of  its  being  connected 
with  "  CO  lac"  (this  lake);  that  is,  with  (Jreen  bay  and  Lake 
Michigan — the  two  being  merged  into  one  by  Vimont.  Hence, 
he  must  have  spoken  of  the  Fox  river.  But  Vimont  (/iWa/w?*, 
1040,  p.  30)  understood  him  as  saying,  '•  that,  had  he  sailed  three 
days  more  on  a  groat  river  which  Jtows  from  that  lake,  he  would 
havi!  found  the  sea." 

The  Ri'latio)!,  it  will  be  noticed,  says,  "had  he  sailed  three  days 
more,"  etc.  This  implies  a  sailing  already  of  some  days.  But 
such  could  not  have  been  the  case  had  he  been  upon  the  Wis- 
consin; as  that  riv(M'  is  only  one  hundred  and  eighteen  miles  in 
length,  below  the  jtortagc,  and  the  lime  of  its  canoe  navigation 
between  throe  and  four  days  only  ;  whereas,  upon  the  Fox,  it 
was  nine  days;  six,  from  its  mouth  to  the  Mascoutins,  as  pre- 
viously shown,  and  three  from  the  Mascoutins  to  the  Wisconsin. 

The  first  white  men  who  passed  up  the  Fox  river  above  the 
Mascoutins,  were  Louis  .Toliot  and  Father  James  Marquette, 
with  five  French  attendants,  in  June,  167;}.  "We  knew,"  says 
Marquette,  "  that  there  was,  three  leagues  from  Maskoutens 
[Mascoutins],  a  river  [Wisconsin]  emptying  into  the  Mississippi ; 
we  knew,  too,  that  the  point  of  the  compass  we  were  to  hold  to 
reach  it,  was  the  west-soiilhv.ost ;  but  the  way  is  so  cut  up  by 
marshes,  and  little  lakes,  that  it  is  easy  to  go  astray,  especially 
as  the  river  loading  to  it  is  so  covered  by  wild  oats,  that  you  can 
hardly  discover  the  channel." 

'!'hat  Marquette,  instead  of  "three  leagues"  intended  to  say 
"thirty  leagues"  or"  three  days,"  it  is  evident  to  any  one  ac- 
quainted with  the  Fox  river  from  the  "  portage"  down;  besides, 


NICOLET    DISCOVKIIS   Till-:    NoUTIIWi: ST. 


69 


coming",  with  the  hope  that  one  (hiy  tlie  western  sea 
woiihl  be  reached  In-  one  of  their  order.'  '•  In  pass 
ing,  I  will  say,"  wrote  one  oftheii- missionaries,  in  1(140, 
-  that  we  have  strong  indications  that  one  can  de- 
scend throngh  the  second  lake  of  the  I  Inrons  .  .  . 
into  this  sea."- 


the  mistake  is  ul'tcM-ward  corroctod  in  liis  nan-ativo  as  woll  as  on 
his  map  accompanying  it,  where  tiio  homo  of  the  Mascoutins 
is  marked  as  indicated  l)y  AHonez  in  tlie  Jiilatom  ol  ICiTO.  See, 
also,  the  map  of  Jt)liet,  before  alUided  to,  as  recently  jjuhlislied 
by  (iruvier,  where  the  sanK^  location  is  given.  .I(»lict  and  Mar- 
quette were  seven  days  in  their  journey  from  the  ^fascontins  to 
the  Mississippi ;  this  gave  them  three  days  upon  the  Fox  and 
four  upon  the  Wisconsin  (including  the  <lelay  at  the  poitage). 
Canoi's  have  descended  fn  m  tlio  portiige  in  two  days. 

The  lic/a/inn  of  ItiTO  (pp.  •.•'.»,  100)  s:iys:  "These  i)eople  [the 
Mascoutins]  are  established  in  a  very  line  jjlace,  where  wi'  s<>e 
beautil'ul  plains  and  level  country,  as  far  as  the  eye  reaches,  'i'heir 
river  leads  into  a  great  river  called  Messisipi :  [to  whichj  tlioir 
is  a  navigation  of  only  si.\  d;iys." 

Hut  the  (juestiou  is  evidently  settled  by  the  Tiil.idon  of  1().)4 
(p.  30),  which  says : 

"  it  i.s  only  nine  days'  journey  from  this  great  lake  [(Jreen  bay 
and  Lake  Michiga;, — '  Lac  de  gens  de  n'.-r'  ]  to  the  sea;"  where 
"  the  sea,"  referred  to,  is,  beyond  doul>t,  identical  with  "la  mer" 
of  Nicolet. 

*  '  Or  I'ay  de  fortes  coiuecttu'es  »]ue  c'est  la  mer  [mentioned  by 
Nicolet]  ([ui  respond  au  Nord  de  la  Nouuelle  Me.\i(|Ue,  et  (pie  do 
cette  mer,  on  auroit  entree  vers  le  lapon  et  vers  la  Chine,  nt-ant 
nioins  comme  on  ne  s<;ait  i)as  ou  tin*  ce  grand  lac,  ou  cette  mer 
douce,  ce  seroit  vne  entreprise  genen-use  d'aller  descouurir  ces 
contrees.  Nos  Peres  (pii  soni  au.\  llurons,  inuites  par  »iuel(pies 
AlgoiKpiins,  sont  sur  le  point  de  donner  iusipu-s  a  ces  gens  dc^ 
I'autre  mer,  dont  i'ay  piirle  cy-dessus;  jx-tit  e<tie  (pie  ce  vovML'e 
8e  reseruera  pour  I'vn  de  nous  (]ui  aiions  cpiehpie  petite  cognnis- 
sance  de  la  langue  Algon(piine." — Vimont,  lli<i(ioi,s,  1(>I0,  p.  ilti. 

-"The  twenty-fourth  day  of  June  [IGIOJ,  there  arrived  an  En- 


II  n 


70 


DTSCOVEUY    OF    THE    NUHTIIWKST. 


.'H 


i  J 


But  wliv  should  yii'olc't  leave  tlie  Fox  river  nncl 
iouniev  awav  tVoni  the  Maseoutius  to  the  south- 
ward?  The  answer  is,  that,  at  no  i»:reat  distanee, 
lived  the  Illinois.'  Their  eountrv  extended  east- 
ward to  Lake  Miehii>an,  and  westward  to  the  Mis- 
sissi|ti>i,  if  not  heyond  it.  This  nation  was  of  too 
much  inijioi'tanee,  and  their  homes  too  easy  of  aecess, 
for  Xicolet  not  to  have  visited  them.^     Upon  the  heau- 

glishinan,  with  a  servant,  brought  in  boats  l)y  twenty  Abnaquiois 
savages.  lie  set  out  from  tlie  lake  or  river  Quiiiibeiiui  in  Acadia, 
where  the  English  have  a  settlement,  in  order  to  search  for  a 
passage  through  these  countries  to  the  North  sea.  .  .  .  M. 
de  Montinagny  had  him  brought  to  Tadoussac,  in  order  that  he 
might  return  to  England  by  way  of  France. 

"He  told  us  wonderful  things  of  New  Mexico.  '  I  learned,' 
said  he,  '  that  one  can  sail  to  that  country  by  means  of  the  seas 
which  lie  to  the  north  of  it.  Two  yeais  ag.>,  I  explored  all  the 
southern  coast  from  Virginia  to  (iuinebicjui  to  try  whether  I 
couUl  not  find  some  large  river  oi-  some  large  lake  which  should 
bring  me  to  tribes  having  knowleilgeof  this  sea,  which  is  north- 
want  from  Me.xico.  Not  having  found  any  such  in  these  coun- 
tries, 1  entered  into  the  Sagu(>ne  region,  to  penetrate,  if  I  could, 
with  the  savages  of  the  locality,  as  far  as  to  the  northern  sc^a.' 

"  In  passing,  I  will  say  that  we  have  strong  indications  that 
one  c:>n  descend  through  the  second  lake  of  the  Iliu'ons  [F^ake 
Michigan  and  (ireen  bay]  and  through  the  country  of  tin-!  na- 
tions we  have  named  [as  having  been  visited  by  Nicolet]  into 
this  sea  which  he  [the  Englishman]  was  trying  to  find." — Viniont, 
Relation,  1040,  p.  u"). 

'Synonyms:  Ilinois,  Ilinoues,  Illini,  llliniweck,Tillini\vek,  Ili- 
mouek,  Einiouck,  Abimigek,  Eriniouaj,  etc. 

-'  Vimont  {liefaiim,  1040,  p.  35)  gives  information  derived  from 
Nicolet,  of  the  existence  of  the  Illinois  (Erinioua,))  as  neighbors 
of  the  Winnebagoes.  And  the  Jiclalion,  lGr>()  (p.  39),  says:  "The 
Liiiinuek  [Illinois],  their  neighbors  [that  is,  the  neighbors  of  the 
Winnebagoes],  number  about  sixty  villages."  Champlain  locates 
a  tribe,  on  his  map  of  1032,  south  of  the  Mascoutins,  as  a  "  iia- 


XICOLKT    UrSCON'KHri    TllK   NoRTUWKST 


71 


tifiil  prairies  of  wlrat  is  now  the  state  hearinij:  tlieir 
name,  was  this  tnl)e  located,  with  some  l>au<ls,  pn.l)- 
ahiy  nearly  as  far  northward  as  the  southern  counties 
of  the  present  State  of  Wisconsin.  It  is  not  known 
in  how  many  villages  of  these  savaii'es  he  smoked  the 
pipe  of  peace.  From  their  homes  he  returned  to  the 
\Vi'    ichagoes. 

Ikfore  Xieolet  left  the  country,  on  his  return  to  the 
St.  Lawrence,  he  obtained  knowledi^e  of  the  Sioux— 
those  traders  from  the  west  who,  it  will  he  remen»- 
hered,  were  represented  as  cominu'  in  canoes  upon  a 
sea  to  the  Winnehagoes  ;  tlie  same  "sea,"  doubtless, 
he  came  so  near  to,  ])ut  did  not  behold— the  Wiscon- 
sin and  Mississippi  rivers'.    Althouo-h  without  Inwards, 
and  liavin«r  only  a  tuft  of  hair  uj.on  their  crowns, 
these   Sioux   were  no   longvr   mandarins— no  lon.ucr 
from   China   or   Japan!      Uands   of   this   tribe    had 
pushed  their  way  across  the  Mississippi,  far  above  the 
mouth  of  the  Wisconsin,  l)ut   made   no  further   pro- 
ii-ress  eastward.     They,  like  the  Winnebagoes,  as  pre- 
vi(Hisly  stated,  were  of  the  Dakota  family.     Whether 
any  of  them  were  seen  by   Xicolet  is  not   known;' 
l)u"t  he,  (h)ubtless,  learned    somethiuijr    of   their   real 
character.    There  was  yet  one  tribe   near  the  Win- 
nebao'oes  to  be  visited— the  Pottawattamies.-     They 
were'located  upon  the  islands  at  the  mouth  of  Cireen 


tion  wheiv  th.To  is  a  .luantity  of  butlulocs."  This  nation  was 
probably  tlu"  Illinois. 

•As  Niolot  pvoccodod  no  furtlior  to  the  wostward  than  six 
days'  sail  up  the  Fox  river  ofdreon  bay,  of  vourse.  the  "  Xa.lvesiv" 
(Sioux)  an<l  •'  Assinipour"  (Assiniboins)  were  not  visited  by  him. 

•^Synonyms:  I'ottawottamies.  Poutouatamis,  Pouteouatamis, 
Pouutouatanii,  Poux,  Poueatamis,  Pouteouatauiiouec,  etc. 


1*^ 


!l 


'i'i! 


':  i 


I     y 


I 


' 


1-2 


DISCOVERY   UF   TIIK    XOUTI[\VHST. 


bay,  and  u[)oii  the  main  land  to  the  fionthward,  along 
tlic  western  shores  of  J^ake  Miehi^j^'an.^  On  these 
Alu'on(|uins — lor  thev  were  of  that  linea<!;e — Nieoh't, 
upon  his  rotnrn  trip,  made  a  friendly  eall.-  Their 
liomes  were  not  on  the  line  of  his  outward  voyage, 
l)nt  to  the  south  of  it.  Nieolet  gave  no  infornuition 
of  them  which  has  been  ])rescrve(l,  exeei)t  that  they 
were  neighbors  of  the  Winnebagoes.'^ 

So  Nieolet,  in  the  spring  of  1()35,''  having  previ- 
ously made  many  friends  in  the  far  northwest  for 
Ills  countrymen  ui)on  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  for 
France,  of  nations  of  Indians,  oidy  a  few  of  wliicli 
liad  l)efore  been  heard  of,  and  none  ever  before  vis- 
ited l)y  a  white  nnin  ;  having  been  the  tirst  to  dis- 
cover  Ijake  Michiii:an  and  ''the  territory  northwest 

'Such,  at  loast,  was  thoir  location  a  few  years  after  the  visit  of 
Nioolet.     Tiie  islands  occni»iecl  were  those  fai'tliest  south. 

'^y'nwowt,  lielii/iou,  KitO,  p.  3').  In  the  llclotlon  of  l()43,  it  is 
expressly  stated  that  Nieolet  visited  some  of  the  tribes  on  his 
return  voyage. 

^Sa\s  Margry  {Jonrnal  Caicrcd  dc  f Tnstrriction  PuUi'/ue,  lSf)2): 
"  r.es  peuph's  (|ue  le  |K''re  dit  avoir  ete  i»our  la  plupart  visites  par 
Nieolet  sont  les  Malhoininis  ou  (letis  de  la  Folh;  Avoiiie  [illcno- 
mnners^,  les  ()uinii)ig(>us  ou  I'uans  [  WinncbiigoLs),  puis  les  Poute- 
ouatami  [/'o//'^/•«/^(/«/<;.v],  les  Eriniouaj  (ou  Illinois),''  etc. 

*  It  is  highly  probable  that  Nieolet  connneneed  his  return  trip 
so  soon,  in  the  spring  of  iO.'J"),  as  the  warm  weather  had  freed 
Oreen  bay  of  its  coat  of  ice.  Leaving  the  Winnebagoes,  as  soon 
as  navigation  opened  in  the  spring,  he  v.'on  have  only  about 
ten  weeks  to  reach  the  St.  Lawrence  by  tl  iiiddle  of  July — 
the  tinje,  piobably,  of  his  return,  as  previously  mentioned; 
whei-eas,  having  left  Quebec  Jnly  2,  for  the  west,  he  had  about 
five  months  before  navigation  closed  on  the  lakes,  to  arrive  out. 
Sault  Sainte  Marie  must,  of  necessity,  therefore,  have  been  vis- 
itetl  in  joiixj  to  the  Winnebagoes. 


NICULET    DISCOVERS   THE   NORTHWEST. 


73 


of  the  river  Oliio;"  having  l)()i(lly  struck  into  the 
wildonioss  tor  Imiulredsot' k'iiti:iu's  beyond  tlu-  Huron 
ylll-iovs— then  tlio  Ultima  Tliule  ot  eivili/ed  disiover- 
"k's;  returned,  with  hisscven  dusky  companions,  1)V  way 
of  Mackinaw  and  along-  the  south  shores  of  the  Great 
Manitoulin  island  to  the  liome  thereon  of  a  l)and  of 
Ottawas.^     lie  proceeded  thence  to  the  llurons  ;  re- 

>"  To  tlu'  south  of  the  Nation  ol'  the  Beaver  is  an  island,  in 
tliat  fresli-water  sea  [Lake  Huron],  about  thirty  leagues  in 
length,  inhabited  by  the  Outaouan  [Ottawas].  These  are  a  peo- 
ple come  from  the  nation  of  the  Standing  Hair  [Ciievcux  Uol- 
ev('.s)."— Vimont,  Ii,lalion,  104(>,  p.  ;U.  In  William  11.  Smith's 
translation  of  so  mueh  of  this  lidalini  as  names  the  various 
tribes  visited  by  Nieolet  (Hist.  Wis.,  Vol.  III.,  p.  10),  what  re- 
lates to  the  Cheveux  Ueleves  is  omitted— i)robably  by  accident. 
On  a  large  island,  corresponding  as  to  locality  with  the  (ireat 
Manitoulin,  is  placed,  on  Du  Creux'  Map  of  ICiOO,  the  "  natio 
surrectorum  capillorum  "—identical  with  the  Cheyeux  Ueleves, 
just  nuMitiitned. 

The  Ottawas  were  first  visited  by  Chami»lain.  This  was  in  the 
year  Hil.").  They  lived  southwest  of  the  llurons.  It  was  he  who 
gave  them  the  name  Cheveux  Keleve.s— Standing  Hair.  Sagard 
saw  s(mic  of  them  subsecpienlly,  and  calls  them  Andatidionats. 
See  his  "  llistoire  du  Canada,"  p.  T.>9. 

Although,  in  the  citation  from  the  lii'lalionof  IG-JO,  just  given, 
the  band  of  the  Ottawas  upon  the  Great  Manitoulin  are  said  to 
have  "come  from  the  nation  of  the  Standing  Hair."  it  docs  not 
fix  the  lesidence  of  those  from  whom  they  came  as  in  the  valley 
of  the  Ottawa  river.  On  the  contrary,  Champlain,  in  his  "  Voy- 
ages" and  Map,  places  them  in  an  opposite  direction,  not  far 
IVom  the  south  end  of  the  Nottawassaga  bay  of  Lake  Huron  Says 
.I.(}.  Shea  (Wis.  Hist.  Soc.  Coll.,  III.,  L)')) :  "  There  is  no  trace  in  the 
early  French  writers  of  any  opinion  then  entertained  that  they 
[the  Ottawas]  had  ever  been  [resided]  in  the  valley  of  the  Ot- 
tawa river.  After  the  i'all  of  the  Hurons  [who  were  cut  oil  by 
the  Iroquois  a  number  of  years  subsequent  to  Nicolet's  visit], 


^■! 


74 


DISCOVERY   OF   THE   NORTHWEST. 


tnic'ing,  afterward,  liis  stops  to  tlic  montli  of  French 
river,  up  that  stream  to  Lake  Nipissiiig,  and  down 
the  Mattawan  and  Ottawa  to  the  St.  Lawrence  ;  jour- 
neying, ui»on  his  return,  it  is  tliought,  with  tlic  sav- 
ages upon  their  annual  tradiiig-voyage  to  the  Freneh 
settlements.*    And  Xieolet's  exploration  was  ended.- 

when  trado  wns  re  oiienod  with  the  west,  all  tribes  there  wero 
called  Ottawas,  and  the  river,  as  leading  to  the  Ottawa  country, 
got  the  name." 

'As  the  traffic  with  the  TTurons  took  place  at  Three  Rivers, 
between  the  loth  and  2.'{d  of  .Fuly,  1035,  it  is  hijihly  probable 
that  Nicolet  reached  there  some  time  during  that  month,  on  his 
way  to  Quebec. 

■^  Vimont  (iJt/a^/on,  1643,  p.  4)  thus  briefly  disposes  of  Nico- 
let's  return  trip  from  the  Winnebagoes :  "  La  paix  fut  conclue; 
il  retourna  aux  Ilurons,  et  de  la  a  quelque  temps  aux  Trois 
Kiuieres." 


i       t 


ClIArTEK  IV. 


nicolet's  subsequent  career  and  death. 

It  is  not  tlifficalt  to  imac^ine  the  interest  which 
ninst  have  hcen   awakened  in  the  breast  of  Cham- 
]»hiin  npon  the  retnrn  of  Nicolet  to  (Quebec.     With 
what  delight  he  ninst  have  lieard  his  recital  of  the 
particnlars  of  the  voyage!     How  lie  must  have  been 
enraptured  at  the  descriptions  of  lakes  of  unknown 
extent ;  of  great  rivers  never  before  heard  of— never 
before  seen  by  a  Frenchman  !     How  his  imagination 
must  have  kindled  when  told  of  the  numerous  Indian 
nations  which  had  been  visited  !    But,  above  all,  how 
fondly  he  hoped  one  day  to  bring  all  these  distant 
countries  under  the  dominion  of  his  own  beloved 
France!     But   the    heart   thus   beating  (piick   with 
pleasnral>le  emotions  at  the  prospects  of  future  glory 
and  renown,  soon  ceased  its  throbs.     On  Christnnis 
day,  1035,  Champlain  died.     In  a  chamber  of   the 
fort  in  Quebec,  "  breathless  and  cold,  lay  the  hardy 
frame  which  war,  the  wilderness,  and  the  sea  had 
buffeted  so  long  in  vain." 

The  successor  of  Champlain  was  Marc  Antoine  dc 
Bras-de-fer  de  Chasteanfort.  He  was  succeeded  by 
Charles  Iluault  do  Montni!-  rny,  who  reached  New 
France  in  1G3G.  With  him  came  a  considerable  rein- 
forcement ;  "and,  among  the  rest, several  men  of  birth 
and  substance,  with  their  families  and  dependents." 


1 1 


il 

II 

i' 


70 


DISCOVKUY   OF   Till':    XollTIIWKST. 


i 


i  u 

I  ',  h 

I  li 

r 


Jiiit  M()iituiai''nv  toiiiul  tlic  afi'iiirs  of  liis  coloiiv  in  a 
wol'ul  coiiditioii.  Tlu'  '*  C'(»ini»jmy  ofOiu'  Jlmidrcir' 
liad  piissod  its  siit'aii's  into  tlic  hands  ol'  those  who  wcro 
wholly  t'ni!;rossc'd  in  tin-  profits  of  trade,  instead  of 
sen<linii;<)nt  e(donists, tlie  Hundred  Assoeiates^'^'ranted 
lands,  with  tlie  condition  tliat  the  ,iz:rantees  sliould  fur- 
nish ueertain  numherof  settlei's  toelearand  tilltliem, 
and  these  were  to  he  credited  to  tlie  company."  Tlie 
lro([Uois,  who,  from  their  intercoui'se  with  the  Dutch 
und  En^jijlish  traders,  had  been  supplied  witii  ti re- 
arms, and  were  fast  becomini^  proficient  in  their  use, 
attacked  the  Alii;on<juins  and  Ilurons — allies  of  the 
French,  interruptin*::  their  canoes,  laden  with  furs,  as 
they  descended  the  St.  Lawrence,  killing  their  own- 
ers, or  hurryinu^  them  as  ca[>tives  into  the  forests,  to 
suffer  the  horrors  of  torture. 

At  a  point  to  which  was  given  the  name  of  Sillery, 
four  miles  above  Quebec,  a  new  Algon(piin  mission 
was  started;  still,  in  the  immediate  neighboi'hood  of 
the  town,  the  dark  forests  almost  unbroken  frowned 
as  gloomily  as  when,  thirty  years  before,  Champlain 
founded  the  future  citv.  Pndjabl  v,  in  all  Xew  France, 
the  population,  in  KUO,  did  not  much  exceed  two 
liundred,  including  women  and  children.  On  the 
ciii-liteenth  of  May,  H)42,  Montreal  began  its  exist- 
cncc.  The  tents  of  the  founders  were  "  inclosed 
with  n  strong  palisade,  and  their  altar  covered  by  a 
])rovisiomil  cha])el,  built,  in  the  Huron  mode,  of 
bark."  l>ut  the  Inxpiois  hiid  long  before  become  the 
enemies  of  the  French,  sometimes  seriously  threaten- 
ing (Quebec.  So,  upon  the  Island  o\'  Montreal,  every 
ju'ccaution  was  taken  to  avoid  surprise.  Solid  struc- 
tures of  wood  soon  defied  the  attacks  of  the  savages; 


NICOLET*?!    SllJSKQrKNT    CAIIKKU    ANI>    ItKATII. 


77 


and,  to  give  groator  security  to  tlio  colonists,  Mont- 
mnii'iiv  I'jiuscd  a  tort  to  l)c  crecti'd  at  tlic  iiioutli  of 
tlic  Kicliclicii,  ill  tlic  tollowinu-  Aii<,nist.  liiit  tlic  end 
ot'tlic  year  HJ42  hroiiijlit  no  relief  to  the  Alj^oiHiuins 
or  Ilurons,  and  little  to  the  b'rencii,  from  the  ferocious 
Iro([uois. 

It  was  not  loni^  after  Xicolet's  return  to  Qiiehi'c, 
from  his  visit  to  "  the  Peojde  of  the  Sea,"  and  neii;"h- 
l)oriii,ij;  nations,  hefore  lie  was  assii^'iied  to  Three  Uiv- 
crs  l)y  Chan4>lain,  wliere  he  was  to  continue  his 
otKce  of  commissary  and  iiiter;>reter ;  for,  on  the 
ninth  of  Decemhi'r,  1<I;5'),  he  "came  to  iz:ive  advice  to 
the  missionai'ics  who  were  dwellini:;  at  the  mission 
that  a  younn'  Alii-om^uin  was  sick;  and  that  it  would 
1)0  proper  to  visit  hiii'.."'  And,  aii'ain,on  the  seventh 
of  the  followiiii::  month,  he  is  found  visiting;,  with 
one  of  the  missionaries,  a  sick  Indian,  near  the  fort, 
at  Three  Rivers.-  His  ofHcial  lahors  were  performed 
to  the  jrreat  satisfaction  of  hotli  French  and  Indians, 

'•' Le  noufu'SMK' (li(  Dcccinbro,  iustcmcnt  lo  hMidciniiin  dc  la 
fcstc  do  la  Cuiicoptioii,  lo  sioiir  loan  Nic(»lot,  Tnu'liomoiit  pour 
l<*s  .Mg<tn(|uiMs  :iu.\  Trois  Kiuioros,  viiit  doniior  adiiis  uux  Pcvos, 
(lui  i\v  luouioiont  en  la  K'osidonoo  do  la  Conception  siso  an  mosmo 
licn,  qu'vn  ieuno  Aljxoncpiiu  so  trounoit  mal,  ot  (jifil  scroit  a 
prospos  do  lo  visitor." — Lo  Jt-uno,  liclation,  lOoG,  p.  8. 

•^  "  Lo  soptiosnio  do  lanuior  de  ootto  annoo  mil  six  cens  tronte 
six,  lo  'lxU  d'vn  <;rand  Sorcier  on  longlour  fnt  I'aict  Chrostion,  sou 
])oro  s'y  ai'cordanl  apros  tie  gi-andi-s  rosistancos  (ju'il  on  fit:  oar, 
conimo  nos  IVros  onontoiont  sos  nunos,  ot  la  docro<litoiont,  il  no 
pouuoit  Ics  supportor  on  sa  ('abano.  Cepwidant  conune  son  His 
tinnt  ii  la  mort,  ils  i)rioront  lo  siour  Nicolot  do  faire  son  possible 
pour  saiiuor  cotto  amo  :  ils  son  vont  done  lo  Pere  (^iiontin  ot  lay 
on  ootto  niaison  d'oooreo,  prossent  forton::ont  oo  Saunago  de  oon- 
sentir  au  baptcsnio  do  sou  petit  lils."— Lc  Jounc,  Relation,  1030, 
p.  10. 


^!i 


78 


uiscovKUY  (ir  Tin;  noutiiwkst. 


I'  I 


l)y  whom  ho  was  oqiuilly  jind  Hiiit'crely  loved.  IIo 
wsis  coMst.'iiitly  assistiiii^  the  iiiissioiuir'u's,  ko  far  an  his 
time  would  ]K'niiit,  in  tho  conversion  of  the  savages, 
wlioin  he  knew  liow  to  manage  and  direct  as  ho 
<k'sired,  and  witli  a  skill  tliat  could  liardly  iind  its 
e((ual.  His  kindness  won  their  esteem  and  respect. 
His  charity  seemed,  indeed,  to  know  no  hounds.'  As 
interi>reter  for  one  of  the  missionaries,  lie  accompa- 
nied liim  from  Three  Kivei-s  on  a  journey  some 
leagues  distant,  on  the  twelfth  of  A[U"il,  IflOl),  to  visit 


*"Lo  trcnte-vniesme  [of  Doconibcr,  ICi.'JS],  vtio  fillo  agt'o  d'on- 
uiron  seize  aiis  i'litbaptisi-o,  et  noimiK'*!  Anno  jmr  vn  <lo  nos  Frau- 
9oi3.  Lo  Pore  But(!ux  finstruisant  luy  <lit,  quo  si  estant  Chres- 
tienno  elle  voiioit  a  mourir,  son  amo  iroit  au  Ciol  clans  los  ioyes 
etornelles.  A  co  mot  do  niourir,  dlo  cut  vno  si  grando  frayeur, 
qu'ello  no  voulut  plus  ianiais  piesti't' I'orcillo  au  Poro;  on  luy 
cnuoya  lo  Sii-ur  Xicolot  trucluMuont,  (pii  exerco  volontiors  som- 
blables  actions  do  cliarito;  i'Wo.  I'oscoute  paisiblemont;  inais 
commo  ses  occupations  lo  diuorlis.sent  alUeurs,  il  no  la  pouuoit 
visiter  si  souuent:  c'rst  pouKjuoy  lo  Pore  Quentin  s'efFon/a  d'ap- 
prondre  los  premiers  rudiniens  du  Cliristianisino  en  Sauua^o,  afin 
de  la  pouur  instruire.  Cola  luy  reiissit  si  bion,  quo  cette  pauuro 
fillo  ayant  pris  gousta  cottodoctrinosalutaiie,  dosiralo  Bapt(?smo 
quo  la  Pore  luy  acrorda.  La  grace  a  plusicnars  oflccts:  on  re- 
nianpia  que  cetto  fillo,  fortdedaigneuso  et  altiorodo  son  naturel, 
deuint  fort  douco  et  traittablo,  estant  Chrostionno. — Ibid. 

"ll[Nicolet]  .  .  .  continua  sa  charge  do  Conimis  et  Intor- 
preto  [at  Three  Iiivors]  auec  vno  satisfaction  grando  des  Frangois 
et  des  Sauuages,  desquels  il  cstoit  esgalenient  et  vniquemont 
aymo.  II  conspirolt  puissanim<'nt,  autant  quo  sa  charge  lo  por- 
mettoit,  auec  nos  Pores,  pour  la  eonuersion  do  cos  i)euplos,  lesquels 
il  seauoit  manior  et  tourner  ou  il  vouloit  d'vno  dextcrito  qui  a 
peine  trouuera  son  i)areil." — Viniont,  Hclailon,  1613,  p.  4. 

Compare,  also,  Tidation,  1(»37,  p.  24, 


NIOOLKT  S   SUFISKQIKNT   CAREER   AND   DEATH. 


79 


Rome  ssivn^i's  wlio  were  sick;  tliu.s  constantly  udniin- 
istcrin^  to  tlicir  sutKcriiiij^s.' 

Notvvitlistandin^'  tlic  colonists  of  Xcw  France  were 
Iivin«j;  in  a  state  of  teniiMH'al  and  spiritnal  vassalau^e, 
yet  the  ilariny^  Nicolet,  and  others  of  the  interpivterrt 
of  CMianijdain,  althon_u:li  di^vont  (-atiioiics  aiid  tViendiy 
to  tlie  I'stahlishment  of  missions  anion^  the  Indian  na- 
tions, were  !iot  Jesuits,  nor  in  the  service  of  tliese  fa- 
thers; neitlier  was  tiieir's  tlie  mission  work,  iji  any 
sense,  which  was  so  zealously  prosecuted  l)y  these 
disciples  of  Jjoyola.  They  were  a  snudi  class  of  men, 
whose  home — some  of  them — was  the  forest,  and  their 
companions  savages.  They  followed  the  Indians  in 
their  roamings,  livi'd  with  tliem,  grew  familiar  with 
tlieir  language,  ullied  themselves,  in  some  cases,  with 
theii"  women,  ami  often  l)ecame  oracles  in  the  camp 
and  leaders  on  the  war-path.  J)oul)tlesK,  when  they 
returned  from  their  rovings,  they  often  iiad  ]>ressing 
need  of  penance  and  ahsolution.  Several  of  them 
wci'e  men  of  great  intelligence  and  an  invincihlc 
courage.  From  hatred  of  restraint,  and  love  of  wild 
and  adventui'ous  independen<'e,  they  encountered 
privations  and  dangers  scarcely  less  than  those  to 
which  the  Jesuit  exposed  himself  from  motives  widely 

'  "  Lo  deuxiome  iouor  (f  Anril,  lo  IVre  (iuciitin  fit  vn  vovnjr**  il 
qii(»I<Hi('s  liciios  (les  'I'rois  Riiiioios  ['I'lireo  liivcM's],  pour  <|uel<iues 
niiiliulcs,  (lont  oil  nousauoit  (ioiiii(''  iuhiis.  Lo  IVuict  qu'il  ou  rap- 
l)()rtii  fut  d'auoir  nxj)o.se  pIusiour.s  fois  sa  vie  pour  Dieu,  piirniy 
les  (laugiM's  dos  fzlaces  ot  du  mauuais  teiui>.s.  II  se  conti'iita  do 
It'ur  doinu'r  (|uel<|UO  iristruotioii,  sans  on  baptisov  auouu,  \n)  les 
voyaiit  iiy  en  p»>ril  do  niort,  ny  su(lisanim<Mit  instcuits.  Le  sionr 
lean  Nicolot  luy  sorult  do  truclicmi'nt,  auo(^  sa  cliarito  ot  iidolito 
ordinaire,  dont  nos  Peres  tirent  <lo  grands  soriiices  en  semblablea 
occasions." — Le  tJeune,  Relation,  1(J3(),  pp.  57,  58. 


I, 


I 


!|  If 

1  !i; 


iU,: 


rt  .       Ml 


80 


DISCOVIMIV    nl'    TIIK    NdltTII WIIST. 


I 


(lifrt-rcMit,  •— lio,  from  ri'ligious  zeal,  cluirity,  Jiiid  llic 
li(>lto  of  i>:ir:i(lis(' ;  tlicy,  Hiiiiply  1)ih-musc  tlicy  liked  it. 
SoiiK!  of  tlie  Ix'st  famiru'S  of  CaiuKhi  claim  descent 
fi'om  this  viiz^oroiis  ami  hardy  stock.' 

''  The  rIcsLiits  fi-om  the  iir-t  liad  cherished  the  ]ihm 
of  a  seiiiinarv  i'ov  Huron  Itovs  at  (^lehec.  The  <i-ov- 
enior  and  the  company  rav(»i-i'il  t  lie  desiii'ii  ;  since  n<>t 
only  would  it  he  an  ellicient  means  of  spreadin^i;-  the 
I'aith  and  attachin.i'-  the  t  rihe  to  the  Fiuiich  interest, Imt 
the  children  would  he  itledii:es  for  the  ii'ood  hehavior  ol' 
tlu>  [Kirents,  and  lM)sta_«i'e«-  Cor  tin- safety  of  missiomiries 
and  traders  in  the  Indian  towns.  In  the  sumimT  of 
1(!8('),  Fatlier  Daniel,  desecudim'"  I'rom  the  Huron 
country,  worn,  enni-iated,  liis  cassock  patclied  ami 
tattered,  and  his  shirt  in  ra:j,-s,  hronght  with  him  a 
l)ov,  to  whom  two  others  were  soon  a<lded  ;  ami 
thi-ou;j;'h  the  inllui-nee  of  the  int erpretei',  Xieolet, 
the  nundn'i"  was  al'tei'ward  increasi'd  hy  several  more. 
One  of  them  ran  away,  two  ale  themselves  to  death, 
a  iourtli  was  cai'i'ied  home  hy  his  fatliei",  v.'hile  tliree 
of  those  I'cnniinin*;'  stole  a  canoe,  ioa«led  it  with  all 
they  could  lay  their  hands  n[ion,  and  es(.a[K'd  in  tri- 
umph with  their  plumlei'.""' 

Xieolet  freipiently  visited    (^uehec.     I^jioii    one  of 

'  Adapted  IVoin  PaikiUiUi's   ".Je^uits   in    North    America,"  pp. 

-  I'aikmau's  "  Josuits  in  Noitli  AiiKMica,"  i)p.  107,  lOs,  cilinir 
tlio  Ji'r'ii/loh.s'  o\'  Iii:i7  and  lf»-lS.  Fallicr  I.o  .Irnnc  {  Hrlotion, 
|().'!i'),  p.  7."))  says  :  "  <  'omtni^  i'l'-cvy  cccy  !;•  viu.u't  laiiclicnio  d' Aonst, 
voila  <int' lo  I'cro  I'.ntcnx  nio  mando  Ic  (I'liart  dn  P»m«^  lo-pios, 
rarriiK'tMlvni)  autin  lionpc,  dc  1 1  !ii''>n>,  dc  (pii  lo  sii'iir  Nicolct 
a  ('111'  )!'.  ol.'i  'Ml  ti'Din  ifiincs  gave  )iis,  siii-  Ic  lappoit  (pi"  li-nr  onL 
tail  It'iirs  c  ;nii)a.t:n(nis  du  Iidu  traitli'iiiiiit  »pic  Monsieur  lo  (ieii- 
eral  ot  ton^  Ifs  iiulo's  l''rani;uis  leiir  anoicnl  tail.  " 


•       il 

n 


NicoLirr'.s  ^riiSKiii'KXT  caiikkr  akd  death.       81 

those  oociisions  lio  liad  ii  ikiitonv  os(':ii)i'.     ITo  found 
tlio  St.  LawiH'Uco  iiicmnluTiMl  willi  'h'i>.     Pu'lniHl  him 
tlnTo  cjuiio  s(>  ii'Ti-at  ii  (lUimt-ity  of  it  tliiit  lie  was  coin- 
jK'lhd  to  irit  oui  of  his  canoe  and  jUMip  upon  one  of 
tlic    tloatinu'    iiicci's.     H*'   saved    hinistlf   witii   nnudi 
dilHcidty  and  lahor.     Tliis  hapiu-m-d  in  April,  lti:57.' 
On  tlie   twcntv-srvcnlli   of  tlic   same    month    Xi'-olct 
was  piTscnt  at  (^irhi'c,  on   tlic  occasion   (.f  a  dcpnta- 
tion  of  Indians  from  'Pliri'e    Kivei's  waitini:-  npon   the 
o-ovci-nor,  askin<;-   a  favoi- at   his   hands   promiscil   hy 
(Miami. lain.     He  was  consnlti-d  as  to  what   the  |.i'om- 
ise  <d'  the  former  li'ovi'i'nor  was.- 

In   dune,  In-  was  sent,  it  seems,  np  IVom  tlic  fort  at 
Three  Rivers  to  ascertain  whether  the    Irociuois  wen' 
approachinLi-.      He  went  as  faras  the  rivci-  \)v:<  Traiih-s 
—the  mime  for  the  Ottawa  on   the    north    side  (.f  the 
island  ol"  M.mtreal.'     In   An,u-nst,tlie  enemy  threat- 
ened Three  Ilivcrs  in  lorcc.      The  French  and  Indians 
in  tlic  foi't  ci)nld  m>t  he  decoyed  into   dan,i;-er.      How- 
ever, a  h..at  was  sent  up  the  St.  Lawrence,  comlucted 
l.y  XicoK  t.     The  hark    approached    the    phuH-  where 
tiie  Iro.pn.is  were,  hut  could  not  p-t  within  uMin-shot ; 
vi-t  a    random    dischar»'-e   did    some  exe<'Ution.     The 
enemy  were  jud.u-e(l  \n  hv  ahout  live  hundred  strong-. 
Alth.mu'h  thi"  f(M't  at  Three  Kivers  was  thus  seriously 
tlireatened,  no  attack  was  nnide.' 

On  the  seventh  of  Oetolu-r,  I»;:'»7,  Nieolet  was  mar- 
ried at  (^leheeto  MaruMierite  Conillard,  a  .uxxl-child  of 


•''  It).,  p.  Nl. 

Ml).,  1'  s4. 

*  lb,  p.  h'.». 


i 


82 


MSCOVIMIY   OF   TJIK   NoRTIIWKST. 


I  'I 


I 


Cliiiniplain.'  Tho  fruit  of  tliis  njMrrijic:«'  "vvas  but  one 
cliild — a  (l:mii;lil('i'.  iS'icoIct  ('(nit'miU'd  Iiin  rosidciico 
at  Tliicc  Jiivi'is,  larii't'Iy  t'luitloviMl  in  liis  oHicial  dii- 
lics  of  C'oimiiissary  and  interpreter,  icmaiiiinii^  there 
until  tlie  tiuiu  of  liis  deatli.-  In  l«!4l,  lie,  with  one 
of  tiie  Jesuit  fatluM's,  was  vei'V  hiisy  in  (K'alinif  witli 
a  lar^'o  forec  of  ]ro([Uoi.s  that  was  threatenin*^  the 


ee 


pla 

Al»out  the  tirst  of  Oetoher,  1<>4:2,  Xieolet  was  calliMl 
down  to  (^uehee,  from  Thi'ec!  Jiivers,  to  taki^  tiic 
plaeti  of  liis  hrother-in-law,  M.  Olivier  le  Tardilf, 
who  was  (ieneral  Coniniissary  of  the  Hundred  J'art- 
lU'rs,  and  who  sailed  on  tlu^  seventh  of  that  month  for 
Fraiu-e.  Tiu^  ehanii'e  was  a  verv  asjri'ooahlc  one  to  Xieo- 
let,  hut  hedidnoth)ni^eiijoy  it;  for,  in  less  than  a  month 
after  his  arrival,  in  endeavoriu;^*  to  inak(^  a  trip  to  his 


'  S.M'  F.mImiuI's  "('(.mis  D'  ir.stoiivdu  Ciinad:!,"  Vol.  I..  !•.  .TJO' 
also,  lii.i  ''  Notes  Hiir  les  IicsIl' stit  >  »lt>  Notrc-Daino  do  (^iu'lu  c," 
J).  IIU,  Holes;  ami  <  IiMvicr's '■  J)i  'ourvortes  ct  Etiiblissoineiits  de 
CavalitT  de  la.  Sallr,''  ]i.   17. 

Nit'oli't's  will*  was  u  dati^rlitor  of  (luillautnerouillard  niid  rJnil- 
leniclto  llrlicil.  Nicujit's  man  iau'iM'oiitiact  was  dated  nl  <i>iie- 
!)(>(■,  (letolier  2ll,  li't'iT,  several  days  sidise<jiient  to  liis  implials. 
This  was  ipit  an  uncoininoii  tiling  in  New  KraiuM*  in  early  days, 
but  has  not  ln-en  allow  ed  in  ('ana<la  loraboiitact'ntnry  j.asl.  Tho 
coiUiact  was  diawii  up  by  (iiiilet,  a  notary  of  (^iiehec.  Tlu-ro 
worn  jiieseiit  I'raneois  I)en'e  d(«  (iaiid,  ('t)ininissaii(' ( ienei'al  ;  Oli- 
vier le  Taidif;  Noi'l  .Inchereau;  Tierro  ])o  bi  J'orte ;  (inillamno 
llnboust;  (iiiillannio  lleltert;  ^faiie  Kollob  uieulo  do  la  I'lilure 
('•poMse;   Claudo  Kacino;   Ktiei  no  liaeinc. 

'''TIh^  jtrcscMicci  of  Nieolet  at  Threo  TJivor.n  durin,!^  all  those 
yoars  (o.\ee).t  fioni  Mareh  19,  li.'lS,  to  Jaiuiary  ".',  Ifi.i'.t)  is  shou  n 
by  refi'f<'ne(^  to  tlm  /i*.  'aHon^,  an<l  to  tho  fhuiili  register  of  that 
place.     8oo  .Appt'iidix,  1.,  as  to  tlio  latter. 

'Vimont,/?rAat(;/i,  l(VlI,j).  41. 


n'I('oi,i:t  s  snisKur KNT  caukkii  and  ih:\tii. 


8:] 


/ 


pla('(M)f  i'c's'kU'ik'O  to  release  an  Iii<liaii  prisoner  in  tlie 
possession  of  u  band  ol"  Alii,'on(jnins,  who  werti  slowly 
lortiirinic  liini,  liis  zeal  and  linnianily  cost  liini  his 
life.'  On  tiie  27tli  of  Oetoher,'  he  eniharked  at  C^U'- 
ln'e,  near  seven  o'clock  in  the  eveninn',  in  the  launch 
(d'  M.  (1(!  Saviniiy,  wliicli  was  lieade(l  lor  'IMiree  liiv- 
ers.  Jlo  had  not  vet  reached  Sillcrv,  when  ji  north- 
east  H([nall  i-aised  a.  tei'rihle  tempest  on  the  St.  liaw- 
iH-nce  and  tille(l  the  hoat.  Those  wlio  wei'e  in  it  did 
not  iininediatelv  u'o  down  :  thev  clunii"  some  time  to 
the  laiincli.  Xicolet  iiad  timi^  to  say  to  M.  «h'  Sa- 
vii:;nv, '*  Save  vourseir,  sir  ;  von  can  swim;  I  can  not. 
I  am  ti'oinn'  to  (1(((|.  1  recomnnnd  to  vou  mv  wife 
and  dauuhtei'."'  ' 


^  ^foiisiciir  OHiiicr,  ('oimiiis  (Itiu-iiil  <li'  Messieurs  d**  Iji<''<tm- 
pii^iiit',  cstiiiit  vi'iiii  I'iiii  piissr  ••11  Fniiieo,  lo  ilit  sicui-  Nicollel  Uc- 
S(<'ii(lit  ii  (^Ma'l)i'i',  CM  s:i  jiliicc,  aiicc  viic  ioyc,  ft  coiisnlnlioii  sru- 
silihi  (juil  <Mit  tlo  so  voir  <l:in.s  hi  j>;ii.\  <t  lii  (Icuotioii  <lc  (^Micli'i'. 
^fais  il  u'fii  ioiiit  jias  long-toiiiiis :  cir  vn  nii'is  on  deux  a|>i('.s  sun 
aiiiiu't",  iaisimt,  vn  V(>yajj;o  uux  Trois  K'iiiicios  pour  la  dcliiiraneo 
tfvn  iiiis(»mii«'r  Saiiiiajic,  sou  Zflc  liiy  cousla  la  vi<',  (in'il  [kmiUL 
(laii.s  le  naiilVagf." — Viiiioiit,  liihit'cni,  li'il'!,  p.  4. 

^  ra<Houstcray  i('y  vn  mot  do  la  vie  et  <le  la  inort  do  ^^(>llsieur 
Nicollet,  I  iitei|irt't<  et  ('oiMiiusd(!  M<"s;.i«Miis  de  la  < 'oiii|ia^iiie 
dt'  la  Noiiuelh'  Kiaiit  <> ;  il  iiiotiriit  dix  ioiirs  apres  le  Tere  [  <  'liailes 
Kayiubault,  dei'cde  le  li'J  (>ctol>re,  Itil'J],  il  aiioit  cleineiirc  viiiizt- 
ein«i  alls  «>ii  ees  (niartiers." — Vinioiit,  l,'r/<i'ioii,  It'i  t.'!,  p.  .",.  'I'lic 
iiieoii('(tiie:^s  of  tliis  date  us  to  tl»e  death  of  Nieoletwill  lu-ru- 
al't-T  1)0  kIiowii. 

'  "  I!  I Xicdlrt]  sejuharqua  a  Quebeo  stjr  len  sept  lienres  <ln  soir, 
daii  hi  chaloiippe  do  Monsieur  d<?  Saui^ny,  "ui  tiroit  vfi-s  Ics 
'I'rois  i{iuierert,  ils  n'estoient  pas  encor  airiue/  ii  Sillery,  fpi'vu 
coup  do  vent  do  Nord  Est,  rpii  auoit  excite  viu;  honiiilo  l»iii- 
peste  sur  la  |:ran<h>  riuiere,  reinplit  la  olialouppo  d fan  <•!  la 
coula  a  fond,  apr(>s  luy  nuoir  fait  faire  deux  o\\  tmis  tours  daua 


Iil 


K[ 


]>isc(»vi:uv  OK  Till':  xoirnnvKST. 


Tlic  wild  WMVcs  tore  tlio  incMi,  oiio  after  anotlicr, 
iVoiii  till'  hoiit,  wliic'li  liad  cajtsixcd  and  Hoatod  against 
a  rock,  and  t'oui",  incliidini;'  Xicok't,  sank  to  rise  no 
ni(>r('.'     M.  de  Savii;-ny  alone   east   liinisrlf  into   the 

IViHi.  <'(ux  i|iii  (.■stdiciit  ilfdaiis  n'alli'i'cnt  pus  iiicontiiiciit  Ji 
IoikI,  ils  sattac'licrmt  (|U('l(Hiti  Iciiips  ji  la  flialloiiiipe.  M(»ii>i«'nr 
Niciillct  eiit  loisir  de  diit'  a  Moiis'uMir  do  Siuiigiiy  :  !^^(1llsi('ll^, 
^aiiutz  voiis,  Vdiis  .sraiK'Z  iiagcM';  ie  lit'  \i'  s(;!iy  pas.  I'oiir  iiioy  i(^ 
iiiCii  vay  a  I'icii;  ic  voiis  rt't'tdiiiiiiiiulo  ma  fi'iiiuu!  ct  lua  lillc." — 
ViiiK.iit,   l!r':il'<nn,  IC.l.;,  p.  4. 

Nicdiit's  flaiijilitcr  al'tcrwai'ds  married  .Ican-rjaptistc  Ir  Tiard- 
fiii-  iXr  h't'pciitij.'iiy,  cntcriiijj;  into  a  laiiiily  uliicli  was  oiu'  of  tlie 
m^<^t  I'oiisidcralile  in  Frciich  Aiiicrica.  I1»t  son,  Atiiiiistiii  Ic 
<  iai'dnir  <!<■  ("oiiitcmaiU'lH', — "  of  licit  •!•  ilaiis  Ifs  ti'oupfs,  sc  di^till- 
^'ua,  par  lit'  Ioiil's  ft  iitilis  scrvict's  dans  roin'st,  i'lit  uii  di^iM>  oon- 
tompoiaiii  tlf  Nicolas  J'ci'ot,  dc  incint!  (|n'iiti  lioiiora'ilf  rcjtiton 
df  soil  jriaiid])!'!'!'  Nii'oli't."- — ^Sulttj's  "  3It'laiigi's  J)'  Hist oi re  et  tie 
Littt'-rattire, '  p.  111). 

'It  is  reasonably  certain  that.  tlit>  day  t)!'  Nieolet's  death  was 
( )etolit>r 'JT,  I(»I'J.  <'t)niparti  ^lar^ry,  in  Jminwl  iiliiiirid  dc  I  In- 
.'itnicdim  J'n/)/i'/ui\  ISOl'.      A  I'eceiit  writer  says  : 

"  Lo  2'.)  septemhre  ICil'J,  anx  Trois-Uivit'ios,  Ic  I'l-ro  Jean  tie 
Brelieuf  haptisla  tleux  petitos  lilies  de  I'aet^  al,i:oiii|nine  tlt)nt  les 
liarrains  et  niarraines  fureiit  '  Jean  Nictilel  avet;  IVrrette  (iiom 
indicn),  cL  NietJas  ^rarsolel  (rintcrprt^'te),  avec  Marguerite  Coiiil- 
lard,  reniint'  de  M.  Nicolet.' 

"  I.e  7  ()ctt)l)re  suivant  (Mit  lieu,  t\  (^>ui'l>ee,  le  tli'part  dos  uavires 
)»our  la  France.  {UcLition,  104;!,  jt.  4t>.)  ("ette  Ixelation  t-eritt^ 
vers  la  liii  iK^  I'ete  dt>  Ki  1.'!,  raoonto  co  (pii  s'est  passe  apit-s  \o, 
dt'part  des  navires  de  I('»42. 

"  Lei  !-ieur  <  (livier  It^  'lartlif  paitit  pour  la  l"ranci>  ret  automno, 
ITil'J,  et  Int.  ren)"^u!('>  a  (int'-hoc,  dans  sa  cliaiiro  dt^  eoinniis-L't'ii- 
eral  de  la  compap  /it)  des  ''cMit-Associes,  par  >^^'>n  hean  liere  Nico- 
let, tpii  tleseei.dit  des  Tiois-lJivit'-res  oxpressemeiit  pour  cda  (  /.'.  - 
litimi,  llW'I,  p.  4),  par  const'-iiuent  ontro  lo  20  septenihro  et  le  7 
octohre. 

"  1a!  I'J  t)etohre,  un  sauvagt!  tl'uno  nation  al'iet)  aux  Trtxjiiois 


1 


\ 


NICOLKT  S    SrnSlUH'KN'T    CAKMIMl    A\l»    Iti:.\TII. 


8:, 


water,  iiiul  swam  amonn'  tlic  waves,  wli'nli  wi'i'o  liki^ 
small  mountains.  The  lainicli  was  not  vi  rv  far  from 
tlic  shore,  l)nt  it  was  pitcli  dark,  jiiid  tiic  hitter  cold 
had  covered  tlie  river  hanks  with  ice.  Saviu'ny,  I'eel- 
ini;'  his  resoUition  and  his  stren^'th  railinj;"  liiin,  made 

fut  ainciu'*  csiiitif  aiix  'riois-iiiv'K'ros  par  Ics  Alfzoiniuiiis  dci  co 
hen,  (jui  le  ('oiulainut'rciil  il  ptM-ir  sur  lo  ImicIut.  {licliiiion,  lt)l;{, 
J).  46.)  Lt's  ri'i'cs  Ji'suiti'S  ft  M.  (I(^s  IlocluTs,  le  coininaiulaiil  du 
fort,  ayant  t'ltuiso  tons  It's  ar/^uiiu'iits  qu'ils  croyaiont  pouvoir  oin- 
ployiT  pour  iiuhiire  cos  liarl>art's  a  no  pas  lairc;  inoiiiir  U'ur  pris- 
oimii'r,  onvoyeM'cut  un  iiu'ssugor  ii  (|)u('>l)oc  avertir  Nicolct  »lf  co 
<pM  so  i)assait  ct  rcclaiiu'r  son  assistance.     {liiliitin,  ji'ilii,  j».  4.) 

"  t.'cs  poin'parlera  cL  cos  dcniarclios  paraissont  avoir  ociupo 
plusicnrs  jours, 

"  A  cello  nouvollo,  Xicolct,  n'ccoutant  quo  son  occur,  s'om- 
baripia  ii  (^ucltcc,  (l:iiis  la  clialoupo  <lo  M.  Cliavijiny,  vers  Ics  sopt 
Ihmucs  (III  soir.  Ji'onjl)arcation  n'ctait  pas  anivcoii  Sillciy,  (pTun 
coup  »lc  vent  (hi  nor<l-cst  <pii  avait  soulcvc  nnc  j^iosst'  tcnipot(>,  la 
rcniplit  d'oau  ct  la  ooida  ii  foiitl.  AI.  dt?  ('havigny  scul  sc  sauvii. 
La  unit  clait  tivs-noirc  <'t  il  i'aisiiit  un  I'roid  aprc  (|ui  avail  convert 
do  '  liorilii^res '  los  rives  du  tlonvi'.     {liclation,  lti4'),  p.  4  ) 

"  l>;ins  SOS  NnfiS  xitr  /»'.«  ri\'/i.s'trr.<i  d,:  Ni'tre-lhiinc  dc  (^m'/ire,  ^f, 
rabl)6  I'Vrl  ind  nous  donm^  le  l(>xto  do  I'iicto  (pii  suit  ;  '  Li'  '-.) 
octol)io,  on  lit  los  Innerailles  do  monsieur  Nicollet  vi  de  trois 
liotnnies  de  M.  d(>  ('havijrny,  noyes  dans  une  cindoupe  (jui  allait 
do  l^nelteo  a  Sillery  ;   los  corps  no  Inrent  point  troiives.' 

"  M.  le  ('h:ivi.L'ny  doniour:»it  ii  Silli'ry.  11  est  prohaMo  quo 
Nicolot  eoniptiiit  ropiirlir  do  lil  lo  lendeinain,  soil  li  la  voile  {on 
chaloupe)  ou  on  oanot  d'ecorco,  scion  Tetat  tlu  lleuvo,  pour  at- 
toindro  los  TroisHivieros. 

"  Lo  captif  (los  Algon<piins  ayant  ('t('  d('livrt'>  par  rentroinis(»  do 
M.  des  Kocliers,  aviiva  ii  (^nel)eo  dou/o  jours  apres  lo  naufia,i:e  do 
Nioolot  {!u-/ali<ni,  l(')4:i,  i».  I),  le  9  novond)ro(/.VA7</"/i,  104;>,  p.  44), 
CO  (jui  fixeniit  au  27  ou  2S  oclobro  hi  d:ito  doniand(''o. 

"  Conuntf  oe  nndlieur  cut  lieu  a  lit  nuit  cl()s(>,  pendant  une  tem- 
\wU\  il  est  raisonal)lo  do  supposor  (pio  la  roclioivlie  dos  cadiivros 
no  put  so  t'iiire  <|Uo  let  lendenniin,  surtout  lors(pn^  nous  songoons 
quo  Sillery  n'est  pas  (2uel)ec,  (luoicpi'assez  rapproche.    Lo  .s«'Vvico 


I . 


^w^ 


r* 


I 


ii 


86 


DISCOVKIIV    (IF    TlIK   XOllTIIWK.^T. 


a  VOW  to  (J(»(l,  jnul  :i  litllr  sifter,  r(>;u'liini!^  down  witli 
liis  i'cct,  1k'  IV'lt  the  hottoiM,  iind  st('i»i)iii<r  out  of  tlu; 
watiT,  li'^  iH'iU'hod  ISillory  lialf  doiid.  For  (|iiito  a 
wliilo  lie  was  uiialdo  to  s|>i'ak  ;  tlicn,  at  last,  lie  re- 
counted tlie  fatal  accident  wliicli,  besides  the  death 
ol"  Xicolet — disastrous  to  llie  whole  countrv — luulcost 
him  tlireo  of  his  l)est  men  and  a  laru:e  part  of  his 
]»roperty.  llo  and  ]iis  wife  suil'ered  tliis  Lrreat  loss, 
in  a  l)ai"l)arous  country,  witli  pfroat  patience  and  rca- 
iiiiiation  to  the  will  of  (Jod,  and  without  losing  any 
of  their  couratcc.' 


funobro  (lilt  otic  ('(''lcl)r6  lo  truisk'uu'  jour,  ot  non  pas  le  Icndo- 
iniiiii  (U'  rovi'iiemont  on  (luostion. 

".r;i(l(>|)t(^  (lone  lii  tlato  du  luiuli  27  octobrc  cnmmo  ccllc  de  la 
ninrt  do  Xicolet. 

"  II  ost  vrai  «iuo  la  Tielition  oit('o  plus  liuut  nous  dit  (p.  3)  quo 
lo  Port'  CiiarU's  K'nymbiudt  decc'da  lo  122  ootobro.  ct  quo  la  nioit 
do  Nicolet  cut  liou  dix  jours  apros;  mais  I'acto  du  2'.>  ootobro  au 
ro;i;istro  do  (iuoboc  rouvcM'so  co  calcul  tic  dix  jours  (pii  nous  me- 
norait  au  lor  ou  2  iiovonibro. 

"  I^a  nioino  llriit'ion  (p,  4)  dit  aussi  (pio  Nioolot  porit  tin  mois 
ou  d(Mix  apros  sou  arrivoo  a  (iuol)oc,  tandis  (|ue  nous  voyons  par 
CO  (pio  j'oxposo  oi-dossus  (pi'll  n'a  guoro  ('{('■  plus  do  trois  somainos 
ab>^out  des  'J'roisUiviores  avant  do  partir  pour  sa  iatalo  oxpe- 
dition. 

"  La  <late  du  27  octobro  parait  irrofutablc" — M.  Suite,  in 
L'Oplniiin  Puf)li'/iie,  Montreal,  .luly  24,  1S7U. 

'  Los  vagu(vs  los  arrachorcnt  tons  los  vns  apros  los  autros  do  la 
cbabiuppo,  (]ui  flottoit  ronuorsoo  coutre  vno  rooho.  Monsieur 
<lo  Sauigiiy  scul  so  iotta  a  I'oau  ot  nagoa  parniy  dos  (lots  ot  dos 
vaguos  qui  rcsombloiont  a  do  petitos  inontagnos.  La  Chalouppe 
n'ostolt  pas  bien  loin  du  i-iuago;  niais  11  ostoit  nuiot  touto 
noiro,  ot  faisoit  vn  IVoid  aspro,  (pii  auoit  dosia  glaco  los  bords 
<lo  la  riuioro.  Le  dit  siour  do  Sauigny,  sontant  lo  c(our  et  los 
forp(  s  qui  luy  manciuoiont,  iit  vn  Viou  a  Diou,  ot  peu  apros 
fruppaut  du  pied  il  sent  la  tcrre,  ct  se  tirant.  hors   do  I'oau, 


f 


7 


f 


f 


NicoLiyr  s  srr.sF.Qi'KNT  (\\ui;i:ii  and  ih;atu. 


87 


Tho  p:ivai>'OH  of  Sillcrv,  ',\t  tlio  report,  of  Xicolft'M 
sliijiwrock,  ran  to  llm  plarr,  and  not  scciiiic  lii"i  any 
wlioro,  displayed  iiidoscrihaMo  sorrow.  It  was  not 
tlio  first  tinio  lio  liad  oxposi'd  liinisi'lf  to  danu'ir  of 
death  i'or  tlio  i::ood  of  tlio  Indians.  IIo  liad  dono  so 
i're([nently.  Tlins  pi'i-islied  John  NieoK't,  in  tho  wa- 
tern  of  tho  jirrcat  river  of  Canada — tho  rod  rinni  and 
tho  Fronehnnin  aliUo  monniing  his  untinioly  fato.' 

Twelvo  days  after  the;  shipwreck,  tho  prisoner  to 
tho  Al^i^onc^nins,  lor  ^vhoso  delivoraneo  Xieolot  started 
on  his  journey,  arrived  at  Sillory — llui  oomniander  at 
Thi'oo  Ixivers,  following  tho  ordor  of  tho  governor, 
havinii*  ransomed  him.  lltMvas  eondiieted  to  tho  hos- 
pital  of  tho  plaeo  to  ho  healed  of  tho  injuries  ho  had 
roooived  from  his  cajitoi's.  They  had  stripped  tho 
flosh  from  his  ai'uis,  in  somo  jdaces  to  tho  hone.  The 
nuns  at  tho  hosjiital  cared  for  him  with  miuh  sym- 
]»athy,  and  cnre«l  him   so  cpiiekly  that  in  a  month's 

s'l'ti  vint  on  nostro  maisoii  jl  Sillory  a  tlcmy  luort.  II  do- 
ineurii  assez  long  tonip.s  suns  jionuoii*  purler;  puis  t>nlin  il  nous 
nu'onta  lo  fuiioste  accldcMit,  (lui  txitro  la  mort  do  Monsieur 
Nicollet,  dt)mnuigeivl)lo  il  tout  lo  pays,  luy  auoit  i)erduo  trois  do 
scs  lucilleurs  honnnes  et  vno  grando  parli(^  do  son  meublo  et  do 
SOS  prouisions.  Luy  ct  Madenioiscllo  sa  i'eniiuo  out  porto  eetto 
perle  hignalleo  dans  vn  pays  barbare,  auec  vno  gi-andci  patienee 
ei  resignation  a  la  volonto  do  Dicn,  et  sans  rlou  diininuerde 
leur  courage. — Vimont,  Ikchition,  Ili4'I,  p.  4. 

*  "  Los  Sauuages  do  Sillory,  nu  bruit  dn  nauffrago  do  Monsieur 
Nicollet,  courent  sur  lo  lieu,  ct  nolo  voyant  plus  paroistre,  eii 
tesniolgnent  des  regrets  indicibles.  Ce  n'estoit  pas  la  preniien; 
fois  que  cet  lionuno  s'estoit  expose  ou  ilanger  do  la  mort  pour  lo 
bieu  et  lo  saint  des  Sauuages  :  il  la  i'aiot  fort  sniment,  et  nous  a 
laisse  des  excniples  qui  sont  au  dessus  do  I'eslat  d'vii  liomnio 
m.M'ie,  et  tiennent  do  lo  vio  Apostolitpio  ot  laissent  vne  on>ii(>  au 
plus  foment  Religieux  do  I'iniiter." — Vimont,  Jtc/ution,  Ifil.J,  p.  4. 


8« 


1)Isc((Vi:kv  (»r  iiik  .nouthwdst. 


: 


lillif  lie  \v;i-;  ;ilil('  to  rctlini  to  Ills  romitrv.  All  the 
iicojili  ytcssliow  I'd  liiiii  iis  iiiii(lM'uiii|»;is>i(iii  ;iii(l  «'liarit  V 

ilS  llir  A  luOIKlHillS  li:i<l  <lisl>|j|\ Ctl  nl'criH'll  V.    TIk'N    li"ilV«' 

liiiii  two  ^'(>o(l,  ( 'lirisli:iMi/i'(l  savii^'i''^  to  escort  iiiin  sis 
l';ir  as  tlic  <-(»iiiit  IT  of  ii  iiciiilihoriiii;-  t  rilx'  of  liis  own, 
to  tlic  end  tliat,  1m'  iniulit  rcaili  liis  lioiiie  in  sal\'tv.' 

After  tlie  retili'ii  of  tlie  Freneli  to  (^iiehee,  tliO 
Jesuits,  as  ju'evioiisly  njeiitioiie(l,  were  eoinniissioiied 
Willi  tlic  atliiiiiiislratioii  of  spiritual  affairs  in  New 
France.  >^onie  of  tlu'se  turned  their  attention  to  the 
I']iiro|>eans;  tlie  rest  were  einployed  in  missions  ainon^ 
tlie  savaii'es.  In  the  autumn  of  1<I."»'>,  the  residences 
and  missicuis  of  Camnla  eontaiiie*!  Ilfteen  Fathers 
and  live  lirothers  ot'  the  S(K'icty  of  riesiis.  At  (^iie- 
hec,  tlier«'  were  also  formed  two  seculars — I'cclesiastics. 
( )iie  oft  licse  was  a  hrothcr  of  Xicolct.'-'      lie  had  come 

' '  I'liiiz*'  iiniis  apn's  lour  iiiiiiri'M^'o,  If  prisoniiior  itnur  la  dolin- 
raiK  «m1u(iii<1  il  |  Nictili-t  |  scshiit  «'ml);u<ni('',  aniiiii  icy.  Mmisit'iir 
(|(s  luirlics  i'()iiimiiii(lMiit  :m.\  'I'rois  l»iuii'i'cs,  siiitiaiit  fuidriMlc 
!M(Hi.su-iir  l«'(it)uncnuMir,  f  mioit  radicle.  II  in  it  jdcd  ,i  tci  re  .i  Sil- 
lery,  cf  <lc  l.i  liil  ('(HKlnil  ,i  rilosjiital  pour  cslic  i»an>»'>  i\t-r.  plavcs 
ct  lilcNsmcs  <|iii' Ics  M^'oiniiiiiis  liiy  aiioiciil  i'aitcs  uprcs  sa  cap- 
tmc:  ils  liiy  aiKiiciit  cmpniir  la  cliair  dcs  jjias,  cii  (picl(|ii('s  cn- 
ilioils  ius(|ii('.s  aiix  OS.  Lcs  |{cli;.'ii!ii-i(!.s  lic.siiitalicr«'s  Ic  rccciirciii 
auoi!  Iicaiicoiip  tin  cliaiiti',  ct  Ic  tiroiit  paii<cr  foit  soigiiou.sciiu'iit, 
en  s(>rti>  (lu'i'ii  ti'on  ht'iiiaiiics  (Ml  VM  ninis,  il  Cut  cii  e.stat  do.  rc- 
ttHiiiicr  fu  sou  pays.  Tons  iios  Nodphytcs  lay  tosiiinigMcrcMt 
jiutaiit  <1(*  coinpa.>^si(m  ct  dc^  cliarit"'  (jUc  Ics  Al^oiKniins  do  liI 
liaiit  lay  auoiciit  luonlrc  do  cniaiiir>:  ils  liiy  doiinoicnt  deux 
l)ons  Sauuaircs  ('hristiciis,  ))our  lo  coiiduirc  iiis(|ii<'s  nn.x  jiays  di-s 
Al)iiai|uiois,  (jui  sont  voisin.s  do  sa  nation."- -Vinioiit,  Julaiin,,, 

It'll.;,  pp.  4, '). 

-  Mis  iiaiuo  \vasniil(>s  Nicolct.  IIi^  wa.sborn  in  <  'hciI)onr<r,  and 
ranio  to  ( 'auiida  in  li'>:i.').  \\v  i.s  (in(>  of  lluHirst  "  pii'tic-i  sccn- 
licjS  " — that  i.s,  Hot  liclon'rlii:^  to  ron'ii'i'L'alions  or  iiistiintcs  .sndj 


MCoLKT's    smSKUlKXT    CAUllMH    AND    DKATII. 


80 


from  ('licrlMHirui;  to  Join  liim  ui»oii  tlic  St.  LnwroiKe ; 
siiul,  <lurii>i4'  I"-"*  i"i'>i<K'ii(H'  in  <ln'  < oloux ,  wliicli  wuih 
continiu'd  to  1(147,  lu' w;is  (•]ni>!<»vc(l  in  visitini;- Fr«'ncli 
sc'tlK'nii'iils  iit  a  «list:in«i'  IVoiii  (^lU'lu'c'  AnotluT 
l)i'otlK'r — I'ii'iTi' — wlu)  was  a  navii-ator,  also  rcsidrd 
in  Canada,  l)iit  ii'l't  tlio  country  some  tinioalU'r  Xico- 
lot's  tloatli.-  The  widow  of  XicoK't  was  married  at 
(^nclx'c,  in  1(14(1,  to  Nicholas  Macai'd. 

NicoU't's  discoveries,  althoM<;h  not  ininu'diately  fol- 
lowed up  hecauseof  tlie  liostility  of  tlie  Iroquois  and 
tlu;  hu'k  of  tlie  spirit  of  adventure  in  ('lianii)lain's  suc- 
cessor, caused,  tinally,  i^reat  results,  lie  had  unlocked 
the  door  to  the  Far  West,  where,  afterward,  were 
seen  the  fur-trader,  the  n)ij(i(/(iii;  the  Ji'suit  mission- 
ary, aud  the  ii:overnment  ai;"eut.  New  France  was 
extended  t(>  the  Mississippi  and  heyond;  yet  Nicolet 
ditl  not  live  to  witness  the  proi-ri'ss  of  French  trade 
and  con(piest  in  the  countries  he  had  discovered. 

The  name  of  the  family  of  XicoK't  appears  to 
liavo  heen  extini^uishcd  in  Canada,  with  tlie  departure 
of  M.  (Jilles  Nicolet,  priest,  already  mentioned;  hut 
the  respect  which  the  worthy  interpreter  had  deserved 
induced  tlie  people  of  Three  llivers  to  perpetuate  his 
}uemory.  The  exami»le  liad  l)een  i>-iven  before  his 
deatli.  We  read  in  the  Jiilafloti  of  1().17  that  the  river 
St.  John,  near  Montreal  (now  the  river  Jesus),  took  its 

as  tho  Jesuits  ami  tlio  Urcollcts — whoso  namo  appears  on  the 
Qucheo  ])ar()cliial  n>gister. 

*  Thoso  of  tho  coast  of  Boaiiiiro,  botwoeii  Boauport  and  Capo 
Tounuentf.  Fci land's  "C'ours  D'llistoire  du  Canada,"  Vol.  I., 
pp.  Ii7<i,  277. 

!» Suite's  "  Melanges  D'llistoiro  et  do  Litteraturc,"  p.  41G. 


I>0 


i»is('(»vi:uv  or  tiii-;  N(iutii\vkst. 


I 

■i 


>i>i' 


ii 


I  i  i 


til 


liamo  fVoni  ./n/m  Nicolct.  To-diiy  CiiiKulu  has  the  I'iviT, 
tlic  hiki',  tho  I'jills,  llic  vilhii:'!',  l  he  cil  v,  tlu-  colli-iic,  jiiid 
the  coUlltV  <>t"  Nicdict.'  I''l(>lll  the  rnilcd  St;ili's — 
i'S[>e('iiill_v  iVoiii  (lie  Xortliwesl — e<|iial  h(»n»>r  is  due. 

"  llistni-v  i-aii  not  icIVaiii  iVoiii  saliiliiiii'  Ni<'«>lel  as  a 
disiiiteri'sled  travrK  r,  wIki,  \\y  his  e.\pU)ratioiis  in  the 
iiitei'ior  of  Aiiieriea,  lias  t-ivi'ii  clear  jn'ool's  ol'  liis 
cneri:;elic  eliaraeter,  and  wliose  merits  have  not  heen 
disputed, althon^lisuhse(|uenllytliey  wereteniporarily 
I'oi'i'-otten."  The  lirst  fruits  of  his  (hiriiii^  ^ve^e  i^alh- 
ered  hy  the  Jesuit  fatliers  even  l)efoi*e  his  (h'ath  ;  for, 
in  the  autumn  of  1(141,  tliose  of  tlieni  wlio  were 
anionuf  tlie  1 1  urons  received  a  deputation  of  Indians 
occupyinu;  ''thi'  country  around  a  rapid,  in  the  midst 
of  tlie  cliannel  hy  wliicli  Lake  Superior  empties  into 
Lake    Huron,"    invitini;*   tliem    to    visit   their    trihc. 

*  I>«>nj:Uiiin  Suite,  in  TOyininn  PnlJi'ixr,  |S7.'!.  'I'lnMVlittT  iuMs : 
"  \a\  rivirrt'  Nici)ltt  est  foniK'c  tltidfiix  iivit-ros  (|iii /^ardi'Mlclia- 
cuiu»  cc.  iioiii ;  I'liiK'  an  lun'I  «'«t  .soit  (fun  lac  apitelt'*  Nii'olct,  dans 
1«  cunti'' do  Wollr,  townslii])  dc  Main;  fantrt',  ecllc  dn  sud  oiirst, 
<jui  passo  dans  1(>  coniU'  do  Kicliniond,  ii  (lonno  lo  \un\\  <li'  Nico- 
Ict  ii  un  villa;;o  situt'  snr  srs  Imidj,  dans  lo  t(»\vnshij>  d  >  Sliipton. 
Co  villago  (jiio  Ics  Anglais  noninicnt  'Nici)lot  Kalis'  «'st  un  oon- 
tro  d'industiio  prosporo.  La  villo  do  N  i(ri»l(>(,  ainsi  (|Uti  lo  col- 
li'go  do  CO  noni,  soiit  sltuos  pivs  do  la  doohargo  dos  caux  jvunios 
do  t'OH  deux  viviri'os  au  lac  Saint-lMoiTc 

"  Pi'U  (I'annoos  ai»:''S  la  niort  do  .J«'aii  Nioolot,  los  tiillu- 
vions  donnaiont  dojii  son  noin  li  la  ii\  icio  on  (pu'stion,  nial;.'n'' 
los  soins  (|uo  i»ronait'nt  los  font'lionnaifcs  oi\  ils  do  no  dt'-siirnor 
cot  ondroit  <|Uo  ),ar  los  niuts  '  la  rivii'To  d(^  l-;uil»ia  ou  la  livioif 
Cros-f''.'  !^[.  i\{^  Lanliia  no  oc»no('Mlo  la  soij/nourio  (ju'c!!  ICiT'J,  ot 
M.  (^rcsso  no  I'olttint  (]U<'  plus  tard,  niais  avant  c<'S  doux  soigu- 
ojus,  la  rivioi'o  portrait  lo  noin  df  Nicoh't,  «•(  lusairo  on  jnovalut 
en  d(''pit  de.s  tontativo.s  I'aitorf  pour  lui  iuiposer  d'uutro.s  drnuiui- 
nations." 


ii* 


' 


mculkt's  sriJSi'wiKNT  f.Mtr.r.H  .\ni>  ukatii.        J'l 

Tlitso  "  misslonnrics  wcro  not  disitlcascd  with  the 
opportunity  tliiis  piv^'Hlrd  of  knowiii-' tlic  count rios 
Iviiiu:  beyond  Lake  Huron,  wlTuh  m)  one  of  tlu-ni  luid 
vrt  traversed  ;"  ^^o  I<aa<!  .Io,h-iu'H  and  Cliarlcs  Kayni- 
h;iult  wero  (h-tailird  to  aceoiiipany  tlio  Chipiu'wa  dc[)- 
utirs,  and  view  tiic  iii'hl  simply,  not  to  establish  ;i 
mission.  Tiu-y  passed  alon^i?  tin!  nliore  of  Lake  Hu- 
ron, northward,  und  pushed'  i\A  far  up  St.  Mary's  strait 
jistho  ''Sault,"  whieli  tliey  reached  after  seventeen 
days'  HJiil  from  tlieir  place  of  startin^LC.  There  they— 
tlii^  lirst  wliite  men  to  visit  the  X(»rthwest  aft(>r  Xico- 
It.t—lniran.i^nuMl  two  tbiMisand  of  that  nation,  and  other 

Ali^^oncpiins.  Upon  their  return  to  tlie  St.  Lawrence, 
Jo^ues  was  capturi'd  bytlu^  Inxpiois,  and  Kaymbault 
diiMl  on  the  twenty-se.ond  of  October,  KM'J— ii  few 
tlavs  before  the  death  of  Xicolet. 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


1.0 


I.I 


11.25 


tti 

lis 


Mil 


Photographic 

Sciences 

Corporation 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

(716)873-4503 


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<? 


r4. 


I: 


APPENDIX. 

I._EXTRACTS  (LITERAL)  FROM   THE  PARL^^II    CHURCH    REGIS- 
*  TER,  OF  THREE  RIVERS,  CANADA,  CONCERXlNd  NICOLET. 

I. 

''  Lo  27  du  mo'S  do  docembre  1085,  fut  haptist'c  ,  ar 
le  Perc  Jac(iUOS  Buteux  '  iinc  pctito  iille  agee  d'eiivi- 
ron  deux  ai.s,  Iille  du  eapitaiue  des  :M()utagnetz  Capi- 
taiual.'  Elle  fut  nonimee  3Lir!(i  par  M.  do  Mauper- 
t'uis'ct  :\[.  Nicollet  ses  pamiiuri.  Ellc  s'appelait  cu 
sauvaiife  8minag8ni8c8c8." 


II. 

''  Lo  30  du  iuoi.4  do  Mai  1G30,  uno  jounc  Sauvagcsse 
AUrouquiuo  iustruitc  parle  Pi'i'C  Jacques  Buteux,  fut 
Laptiseo  par  le  P^ro  Claude  Quenthi  et  nonimee 
Fran50ise  par  IM.  Nicollet  sou  parrain/'     [1037,  Ttli 

1  Father  Buteux  residocl  in  Three  Rivers  from  the  year  of  the 
establishment  of  taat  place,  1034,  to  mi  when,  on  his  second 
trip  to  the  upper  St.  Maurice  he  was  kiU'^d  V.y  the  Iroquois. 

HJapitanal,  chief  of  tlie  Montagnais  Indians,  is  the  man  who 
did  the  most  amongst  his  people  to  impress  upon  the  mind  of 
Champlain  the  necessity  of  erecting  a  fort  at-i-Uivers.  He  died 
in  1035.     See  BdaUnn,  1633,  p.  20 ;  1035,  p.  21.  _ 

"The  figure  "8"  in  such  wonls  is,  us  l>eforo  mentioned,  sup- 
posed to  L  equivalent  to  -  w."  "  we,'  or  "  oo,"  in  English.  Ante, 
p.  46,  note.  ^,j3^ 


•i 


I 


Tr 


..i' 


94 


APPENDIX. 


II', 


I  ,: 


i 


'  \',' 


■iiki 


;r'; 


0(;t()l»or.     At   Qucl^cc.     ^rarriago   of   K^icolet   with 
Mai;u'iK'i'itc  Couillard.] 

III. 

"  Lo  18  iinvomhro  lO-"]?  fnt  haptisoc  (par  lo  Prro 
Claudi'  Pijai't)  uiic^  ieinmo  Al^oiiquiiu'.  Kilo  fut  iioiii- 
iii(''o  Mario  pai"  Xicolk't   hou  parraiu.     Ellu    ost   dc- 

IV. 

"Lo  18  do'  /iibro  1G37  fiit  baptiso  par  lo  Pore 
Jac(pioH  .l)ntoiix  im  potit  Aloiupdii  ago  d'onviron 
doux  a  lis,  ot  fut  iioiiimo  Jean  par  M.  Nioollot.  II  est 
dooodo/' 

V. 

*'ir)o8.  Lo  10  do  mars,  jour  do  Saiut-Josopli,  fut 
haptiso  par  lo  Poro  Jaocpios  lUitoux,  dans  notro  clia- 
l)ollo  avoo  los  coronionios  do  rEglisc,  Anisk8ask8si, 
et  fut  nomnio.  Paul  par  M.  jSTioollot,  son  j)arrain  ;  sa 
marraino  fut  niadomoisoUe  Marie  Lo  XoutV  II  est 
drcodt'."'  [Tlio  Parish  Kogistor  for  1038  stops  at  the 
date  of  24th  May,  the  remainder  being  lost.] 

VI. 

"  Lo  0  janvior  1030,  le  Pore  Jacques  Delaplaco 
baptisa  solennollemont,  en  notro  chapel  le,  una  petite 
fille  agve  do  2  aus  appeloe  Xitig8m8sta8an,  fillo  do 
Papitchitikpabe8,  capitaino  do  hi  Petite-Nation.     EUo 

^  Lo  Xeuf.  Name  of  a  large  family,  belonging  to  tlio  nobility. 
Jean  Godefroy  having  inariied  Mai'ie  Lo  Neuf,  they  all  came 
together  (3G  people)  to  Canada,  when  the  branch  of  Le  Gar- 
di'ur  settled  at  QueV)ec  and  that  of  Le  Neuf  proper  at  3-Ilivers. 
Thronghout  the  history  of  Canada,  we  met  with  members  of 
that  group. 


f 


1 1 


APPENDIX. 


95 


fut  nommec  Louise  par  :M.  Xicolot.     Sa  marraiuo  fut 
uiie  Pauvagesso  haptisoe,  I'eiiuiio  do  iVu  Tliebae'lnt. ' 

VII. 

<'  Lo  4  mars  1000,1c  rvi'vi'rend  Pero  Jacques  Bntenx 
Laptisa  KolemicUcmeiit  en  iiotrccliappcllelcsdeuxcu- 
fants  do  8ab8scli8stigSan,  Algonquin  dc  lisle,  et 
SkSescns,  sii  femme.  Lc  Ills  age  d'environ  quatre  ans 
fut  nommc  Thomas  par  U.  Kicolct,  et  Alizon,^  et  la 
fille  Agee  d'environ  six  ans,  fut  nommec  Marguerite 
par  M^  do  Malapart-  et  :Madame  Nicolet." 


VIII. 

<'  1G30.  Lc  liuitieme  :Nrars,  le  U.  T.  r>uteux  l)aptiza 
solennellement  Kipiste8ignan  Age  d'environ  vingt  ans, 
His  de  Francois  Nenaseouat,'"^  liaLitant  do  Sillery. 
Francois  Marguerie  et  Madame  Nieolet  lc  nommerent 
Vincent." 

IX. 

"  Le  20  mars  1(339  le  R.  V.  Buteux  Laptiza  solen- 
nellement en  notre  cliapellc  Louis  Godefroy,  tils  de 
M.  Jean  Godefroy'*  ct  de  Damoisselle  :Marie  Lc  Xcuf. 

1  Alizon  is  the  family  name  of  the  wife  of  Gourdin,  the  brewer, 
who  vcsided  at  the  Fort  of  Three-Kivers  as  early  as  \C>U. 

2  Malapart  was  at  that  thno  acting  as  governor  of  the  post. 
sXenascoumat,  an  Indian  chief,  is  much  connected  with  the 

history  of  the  first  settlement  of  his  people  at  3-Rivers  and  Sd- 
lerv,  from  lO:];  to  about  1650. 

Moan  Godefroy,  the  piincipal  man  who  caused  French  pooi-le 
to  come  direct  from  France  to  settle  at  Three-Kivers,  as  early  as 
10:56.  He  had  been  in  Canada  for  many  years  before.  TIis 
brother  Thomas  is  well  known  in  the  history  of  those  years  for  his 
services  both  to  the  missionaries  and  to  the  colonists;  ho  was 


HI 

1 1" 


1' 

•i:   ,1 


t   . 


96 


APPENDIX. 


Soil   ]»arrain   fnt   Tlionuus   Godefroy,  ct  sa  niaiTaine 
Madamu  Maru'iieritc  Xioolct." 

X. 

"Anno  Domini  103U  die  10  Julii,  Ego  Claudius 
Pijart  vices  agens  parochi  eeclesiiie  B.  Y.  Coneoptie  ad 
Tria  Fluniina  baptizavit  cum  cercmoniis,  Ognatom,  4 
circiter  menses,  natem  ]iatre  8kar8st8,  dr  ht  Pdifc- 
Ndtion,  et  matrc  8sasamit8n8k8e8.  Partrinus  fuit  D. 
Jaunes  Xicolets  Intcrp." 

XI. 

"  1030.  Anno  Domini  1030,  di  20  julii  Ego  Clau- 
dius Pijart  vices  agens  paroclii  ecclesisx)  Beatix)  Virginis 
Conceptce  ad  Tria  Flumina  baptizavit  cum  cercmo- 
niis Marinum,  filium  patria  insularibus;  patrinus 
idem  qui  supra  Joannes  Kicolet.  Ii  .ant  natus  2 
menses.     II  est  decede.'' 

XII. 

"  Anno  Domini  1030,  die  30.  Julii,  Ego  Jacobus 
Buteux  vices  agens  paroclii  ecclesia^  B.  V.  C.  at  Tria 
Flumina,  baptizavit  Algonquinensen  natum  40  cir- 
citer annos  nomine  Abdom  Cliibanagoucb,  patria  in- 
sularem,  cpiem  nominavit  Dominus  Joannes  Nicolet 
nunc  Joseph  8masatick8e."  [10.30.  Otb  October.  Nic- 
olet  was  present  at  the  wedding  of  Jean  Joliet  and 
Marie  d'Al)ancour,  at  Quebec.  Louis  Joliet,  son  of 
the  above,  was  the  discoverer  of  the  Upper  Missis- 
sippi.] 

burned  by  the  Iroquois,  Louis,  son  of  Jean,  became  King's  At- 
torney. Jean  was  raised  to  the  rank  of  nobleman  by  Louis  XI  V. 
His  descendants  are  still  in  the  district  of  3-Riv'^i's. 


mm. 


Ai"ri;suix. 


07 


XIII. 

"leSO      Pio  1  Dcecmbris.     Ego  Jaeobvis  Butcnx 

Laptizavit  iufoutom  a.uuua  eh-c-itor  naU„„    nomine 

On.brosnim    KatankScinU.l,,   filium    rtehinet.    Staga- 

rnechkS,  i,atria  SSecl.karini,  q.^a,.  edneat  ^  8,^hcak8s 

mulicr  pafia  insalaro,  patrinus  fmt  Joannes  >,icolot. 

XIV. 

"  1040  Die  0  Jannavii,  ogo  .Tacol)U3  Butcnx,  l)ap- 
tizavit  eum  cercn.oniis  Maruun  Ik8esen«  patna  insn- 
larem  natam  circitcr  28  annos,  cvius  patrmus  fmt 
Joannes  Kicolet  ot  Joanna  La  Mesleo,'  cxur  pistons. 
EUe  est  avoc  Stcliakin." 

XV. 

"Anno  1640,  4  Deccnib.  statim  post  portam  mor- 
tuns  sepultns  inco=meterio  item  filius  Domini  Joanms 
Nicolet  intevprotis."  [In  the  margin  is  written :  Ig- 
naco  Nicolet."] 

XVI. 

*'Anno  1640.  Die  14  Jaiuiarii,  ego  Carolus  Raym- 
baut  ^  baptizavi  cum  c^remoniis  Franciscum  missaiuog 
natum  clrciter  4  annos  filium  ChiugSade^^ 

in   IG.  9       Like    that    of    Godofroy,    the    family   became  very 

\.  nna  nro^uerous      The  descendant,  of  Crevier  stiU  ex- 

•:ZZt^^^-     Francois  C.-evie.  born  13th  May 

k!;;  ^t:   killed  by   the    Iro.uois    in   Three   Rivers  when   U 

''t7::ll:Z^^^^  ^^  the  .ame  that  accompanied  Father^o- 
JX  the  .pvingof  the  year  1012  to  what  h  --.^-  ^/^^ 
Ma.-ie,  Michigan.     He  died.it  will  bo  remembered,  an  the  fall 

of  1042.     Ante,  p.  'Jl- 
9 


'1 


08 


APPENDIX. 


■  t> 


tl  .i 


i  -.    :1 


i 


^l. 


KirmScliebink    cflucatur    npud    StibiriniSicli 

ratrinus  fuit  Yf.  Fraiioiscnis  de  Cliain|tflonr'  modera- 
tor; matrina  Margarita  Couillard  uxor  D.  Nicolet  in- 
terpretis." 

XVII. 

"  14o.  die  Maii  1G40.  Eg'o  Carolus  Raymbault  bap- 
tisavi  cum  crereinouiis  Francii^eum  pridie  natum  lil- 
inm  Christo[»liori  Crevier  pistoris,  Et  Joanna  Ennart 
eoniutruni  liotlioniagensiuni.  Patrinusfuit  Dominus 
Franciscnm  de  CbampHonr  moderator  et  Dna  Mar- 
garita Couillard  eonjux  intcrpretis  (est  in  Gallise)." 
[On  the  2d  day  of  September,  1640  Nicolet  was  pres- 
ent at  Quebec  at  the  wedding  of  Nicolas  Bonhomme.] 

xvm. 

"Anno  Domini  1040  die  25  Decembris,  ipso  Jesu 
Domini  Xostri  Nativitatis  die  ego  Joannes  Dequen, 
Soeietatis  Jesu  saeerdos  vices  agens  Kectoris  Eeclesise 
conceptionis  beatje  Virginis  ad  Tria  Flumina  dicta, 
baptizavi  solemniter  in  eodem  ecclesia  Pauluni  8abir- 
imSich  annum  Trigesimum  eereiter((uintumdoctrinfe 
Christian?e  rudimentis  sufficienter  instruetum.  Patri- 
ims  fuit  Joannes  E'icolet,  interpret,  huic  nomen  Pauli 
impasuit;  matrina  fuit  ]\Iaria  Le  Xeuf." 


li 


XIX. 

"Anno  Domini  1(141  dia  lo  Aprilis.  Ego  Josephus 
Poncet,  ISocietatis  Jesu,  baptizavi  puellam  recens  na- 
tam  patre  Abdon  SmaskikSeia,  nuitre  ^MichtigSkSe, 

'  Champflonr  loft  for  France  in  the  autumn  of  1645.     For  sev- 
eral years,  he  had  been  governor  of  3-Rivers. 


APPENDIX. 


09 


uomeii  Cecilia  inipositiim  est.  Patrinus  fnit  .  .  . 
Lavallee/  Matriua  Margarita  Coiiillard  uxor  Joan- 
nis  Nicolct  intcrpretis." 

XX. 

«lo  Aprilis  Anno  1G42  Ego  Josoplius  Poncet  So- 
cietatis  Jesn,  in  ecclci^ice  imniaculatrc  conceptionis  B. 
V.  Marii^,  baptisavi  puellum  reccns  natam.  Patre 
Joannes  Nicolet.  Matre  Margarita  Couillard  ejus 
uxor.  Nonien  Margarita  imposituni.  Patrinus  fuit 
Dnus  Jacobus  Ertcl;  2  matrina  Dna  Joanna  Le  Mar- 
chand,^  vidune  Dni  Lcncuf." 


XXI. 

"  Tertio  Julii  Anni  1G42,  ego  Joannes  de  Brebeuf, 
Societatis  Jesu,  tunc  vices  agcns  paroclii  in  ecclesise 
Iniraaculatjc  Conceptionis  ad  Tria  Fluniina  baptisavi 
infantem  recens  natani.  Patre  Dno  Jacobo  Ilartel. 
Matre  Marie  ^[arguerie*  ejus  uxore.  Xomine  Fran- 
cisco imposituni."  Patrinus  fuit:  Franciscus  Mar- 
guer3'e,infantioavanculus;  matrina  Margarita  Couil- 
lart  domini  Joannis  Nicolet  uxor." 


»  :laude  Jutra  lit  Lavalleo  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  3- 
Rivers,  where  his  descendants  still  exist. 

Jacques  Ilertel,  married  to  Marie  Marguerie.  He  held 
land  at  IJ-Rivers  before  the  foundation  of  the  Fort.  Died 
1652.  His  son  FranQois  was  one  of  the  greatest  sons  of  Canada. 
Louis  XIV.  made  him  a  nobleman.  His  descendants  are  still 
in  Canada.  Like  Godofroy,  Crevier,  and  Le  Neuf,  the  Hertels 
have  held  their  position  for  250  years. 

Meanne  Le  Marchand,  widow,  was  the  mother  of  Le  Neuf. 

*  Francois  Marguerie  succeeded  Nicolet  as  Interpreter  at  3- 
Rivors.  He  hns  left  his  name  to  a  river  flowing  into  the  St. 
Lawrence,  in  the  county  of  Nicolet  opposite  the  town  of  3-Rivers. 


■ij  ■' 


'  ! 

isl 

^^ 

1' 

|; 

1 

p 


li: 

."MM 


'■-(I 


Mli 


Si 

iH   i 

i  ' 


100 


.M'l'KNIUX. 


XXII. 


"Anno  Domini  1042,  2r>  Septcml)ris,  Ego  Joan- 
nes (le  lircbout',  Societatis  Jesu  siicordos,  haptisavi 
solenmiter  in  occlcsiie  Jninincnhitii  C\)iK'('])ti()ni.s  a<l 
Ti'ia  Fhnnina,  duos  puellasrocens  nata,  unum  ex  patre 
Ang-ustino  Clii[>ak8('t('li  et  niatro  8tSribikSo:  Ali/oii 
dictii  est  a  patrinis  Joanne  Xicolet  et  Porretta  Alte- 
ram vero  ex  jtatre  IvSerasinc;  of  8inelik8ek  matro 
Lncia  dicta  est  a  ]'atrinns  .icolao  Marsolet'  et  Mar- 
garita Couillard,  uxor  Djmini  Xieolet." 


II. FIRST    CONNECTED    SKETCH     I'UIJLISIIED     OF     THE     LIFE 

AND    EXPLORATION    OF   NICOLET.- 

[Du  Crenx  states  that,  in  the  last  months  of  1G42, 
Kew  France-  mourned  for  two  men  of  no  common 
character,  who  were  snatched  away  from  her;  that 
one  of  them,  who  died  first,  of  disease,  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Society  of  Jesuits ;  and  that  the  other, 
although  a  layman,  was  distinguished  by  singularly 

'  Nicolas  Marsolet,  connected,  as  an  interpreter,  with  3-Rivers, 
but  mostly  with  Tadoussac  and  Quebec. 

^Translated  from  Du  Creux"  Hist,  of  Canada  (printed  in  Latin, 
in  Paris,  IGtU),  p.  308.  That  his  account  should  not  sooner  have 
awakened  the  curiositj'  of  students  of  American  history  is  due 
to  ^he  fact  previously  mentioned,  that  not  until  the  investigations 
o*  John  Gilmary  ."shea,  in  LS,53,  were  the  "Ouinij)igou"  identified 
as  the  "  Winnebp.goes,"  and  their  having  been  visited  by  Xico- 
let  established.  It  was  this  locating  of  the  objective  point 
of  Nicolet's  exploration  on  .American  soil  that  finally  stimulated 
American  writers  to  further  research;  though,  to  the  present 
time,  Canadian  historians  have  taken  the  lead  in  investigations 
concerninir  the  indomitable  Frenchman. 


I 


API'I'.N'I'IX. 


101 


meritorious  act.  towar.U  11,.  Tn.linu  tnl.cs  of  Canaau. 
ITe  skot.lK-s  l.ridly  ll.o  carcca-  and  <'l,aractcr  ot  la- 
ther  I!avn,l.a,.1t,  tl,o  Jesuit,  first  referrc.<l  to  wlm  <hr<\ 
at  Quebec  iu  tl,e  latter  part  of  Oetol,er.  Jl.o  seeo,,,! 
person  allude,!  to  was  Nie.det.     Of  Uiui  l,e  gives  tl,0 

following  aeeouiit :]  .    „      ,-,  i 

"  He  l.a.l  spent  twei.ty-f.vc  years  in  J,  ew  Franee,  and 

l.ad  always  been  a  useful  perso...     O.i  Lis  ti.-st  ,,rnva  , 
bv  orde.;  of  tl.ose  wl„.   p.-eside<l   over  tl.c    lM-e..eU 
C0I0..V  of  Quebee,  1.0  spent  two  wl.olc  years  an.ong 
tbe  AI.0,..  .il.is  ;f  the  Island,  for  tlK>  pnrposo  of 
earning  their  language,  without  any  Freiiel...ian  as 
a     on.itanion,  a,.d  in  the  midst  of  those  hardships 
whiel.  inav  be  readily  eo.ieeived,  if  wo  w.U  retleet 
;;;:t  it  Liust  be  to  pa^^  severe  -inte,.  in  the  wooc^ 
under  a  covering  of  eedar  or  birch  bark-  to  h.ue 
:;  ■  ^  n.eans  of  sr.bsistenee  depeudent  "1-"   ;""  -S  ^ 
to  be   perpetually  bearing  rude  outcries;  to  be  dc 
ri  "dof  the  pleasant  society  of  one's  own  pc.ple; 
1     to  be  constantly  exposed,  '"'t  °"ly  to  tension 
.,n,l  insulting  words,  but  even  to  da.ly  peril  of  htc 
T       e  was   a  time,  indeed,  when  ho  went  without 
food  for  a  whole  week;  and  (what  is  really  wonder- 
ful  1  e  eVon  spent  seven  weeks  without  bavn.g  any 
.to    at  bu\  a  little  bark.     After  ths  preliminary 
inbTin^'was  completed,  being  sent  with  tour  hun- 
n  igoncpiins  to  the  Iro.p.ois  to  treat  o    i.eaee,  1. 
v,erfonned  his  mission  successfully.     Soon  attei,l.e 
veu   to  the  Xipissiriens,  and  spct  seven  years  wh 
^licn.,  as  an  adopted  men.lnn^ofttieu^nbe^JI^ 

gljip. — Translator. 


U)l 


AIMMINKIX. 


'  ' 


i' 


^.•. 


k 


m 


^f!T 


M  ■ 


!l,    •■ 


5    \. 


liis  own  sniiill  csiiito,  wiii:\ViiTii,  and  lionscliold  stnff, 
iini»l('in(']its  for  Imntiiii^  jind  lisliiiii:^,  smd,  no  doubt, 
Lis  own  Ixavcr  skins,  Avitli  tlu^  siinio  rigiit  of  trade!  j»h 
the  rest ;  in  a  Avor<l,  lu;  was  takon  into  tlicir  counsels ; 
until,  Ix'iiii^  recalled,  hy  tlio  rulers  of  tlio  Freucli 
colony,  lie  was  at  the  sanio  tinici  nnide  a  commissary 
and  charn'cd  to  perlorm  the  otHee  of  an  interpreter. 

"  Dui'ing  this  pci'iod,  at  the  command  of  the  same 
rulers,  he  had  to  make  an  excursion  to  certain  mari- 
time trihes,  for  the  i)Urpose  of  securinu^jyeace  between 
them  and  the  ITurons.  The  region  where  those  peo- 
l»leH  dwell  is  neai'ly  three  hundred  leagues  distant, 
toward  the  Avest,  from  the  same  ITurons;  and  after 
he  luid  associated  liimself  with  seven  ambassadors  of 
these  \J.  c,  of  the  Ilurons],  having  saluted  on  their 
route  various  small  nations  which  they  fell  in  with, 
and  having  i)roi)itiated  them  with  gifts — lest,  if  they 
should  omit  this,  they  might  he  regarded  as  enemies, 
and  assailed  hy  all  whom  they  met — when  he  was  two 
davs  distant,  he  sent  forward  one  of  liis  own  com- 
pany  to  make  known  to  the  nation  to  which  they 
were  going,  that  a  European  ambassador  was  ap- 
proaching with  gifts,  who,  in  behalf  of  tlio  Ilurons, 
desired  to  secure  their  friendship.  The  embassy  was 
received  with  api)lausc ;  young  men  were  immediately 
sent  to  meet  them,  who  were  to  carry  the  baggage 
and  cfpiipment  of  the  Mauitouriniou  (or  wonderful 
man),  and  escort  him  with  honor.  KIcolet  was  clad 
in  a  Chinese  robe  of  silk,  skillfully  ornamented  with 
birds  and  flowers  of  many  colors;  lie  carried  in  each 
hand  a  small  pistol.^     When  he  had  discharged  these, 


It  may  be  interesting  to  the  reader  to  know  how  pistols  arc 


AIM'KNUIX. 


103 


fV.,m   a   Muu   wl„.   (tlu.y  «.,.!)   .■arned  t   >■  tl.nn.U. 

.^r.l>-cl  far  and  .■Uk.,  the  el.ioiW  with  ho..  1,^- 
^e.:,  asscmWod  directly  to  tl.o  n.unbo.  ot  ton.,  o 
five  thousand  persons;  and,  tl,o  n.atter  havmg  loo 
discussed  and    considered   in   a   general   conned,   a 

.e  chiefs  gave  a  han-iuet  after  their  fashion  ;  and    t 
Ino  of  thofe,  Btrango  to  .ay,  a  hnndred  and  twenty 

lw>MV(M's  were  eaten. 

:'  Ills  object  being  aeeon.v.lished,Xioolet  retnrned  to 

the  lluronl  and,  presently,  to  Three  K-ers,  and  .-e. 
sun.ed  both   of  his  fonner  functuins,  v./-.,  »«  u.m 
sary  and  interpreter,  being  singularly  oe  ov.d    y 
both  the  French  and  the   nat.ves;  n-c  ally  u.t  ut 
upon  this,  that,  uniting  his  ""^-''-y'^i*]^;    f 
..■eat  inllnencc  which  be  possessed  over  the  su%a  es, 
with  tl^  eiforts  of  the  fathers  of  the  Society  [Jesuits], 
„.i      t  hring  as  many  as  bo  could  to  the  Cbureb ;  un- 
W  ui^^^n  the  lecall  to  Frauce  of  Olivier,  who  was  the 
Sie/  comn.issary  of  Quebec,  Kicolet.  ou  account  <,t^ 
bis  merits  was  appointed  in  his  place.    But  he  nn  as 
otTong  allowed  t'o  enjoy  the  Christian  comfort  be 
ad  BO  greatly  desired,  vi..,  that  at  Quebec  he  nugb 
frcquenUy  atLnd  upon  the  sacraments  as  h.s  p.ou 
oTdesired,  and  that  ho  might  enjoy  the  society  ot 
tho  e  with  whom   lie   could   converse   upon   divn.o 


tilings. 


;;~;;;7^tl,e  autW»  I.atuK  -Sclopos  mmoves,  exiis  qui 
torn  vol  levitci-  rotula  exploduutier."-rra„.fa,»r. 


104 


APPENDIX. 


11 


i  I 


!  Ii 

Ml 


'81 


•IP' 


\  ': 


1^  '; 


"  On  the  last  day  of  OctolnM",  having  omhavkcd  upon 
a  pinnact'  at  tlio  sevcntli  h<nir  of  the  at'tornoon  (as  wo 
Frencli  i*  e-kon  tlic  hours),  i.  c,  just  as  tlic  shades  of 
evening*  were  falling,  hastening,  as  I  have  said,  to 
Three  liivers  upon  so  pious  an  errand,  scarcely  had 
he  arrived  in  sight  of  Sillery,  when,  the  north  wind 
Llowins:  more  iiercelv,  and  increasins:  the  violence 
of  the  storm  which  had  commenced  before  Nicolet 
started,*  the  pinnace  was  whirled  around  tw^o  or 
three  times,  tilled  with  water  from  all  directions,  and 
finally  was  swallowed  up  by  the  weaves.  Some  of 
those  on  hoard  escaped,  among  them  Savigny, 
the  owner  of  the  pinnace ;  and  Nicolet,  in  that 
time  of  extreme  i)eril,  addressing  liim  calmly  said: 
"  Savigny,  since  you  know  how  to  swim,  by  all 
means  consult  your  own  safety;  I,  who  have  uo 
such  skill,  am  going  to  God  ;  I  reconnnend  my  wife 
and  daughter  to  your  kindness."  In  the  midst  of 
this  conversation,  a  wave  separated  them;  Nicolet 
was  drowned;  Savigny,  who,  from  horror  and  the 
darkness  of  the  night,  did  not  know  where  he  was, 
w'^as  torn  bv  the  violence  of  the  waves  from  the  boat, 
to  which  he  liad  clung  for  some  time;  then  he  strug- 
gled for  a  wdiile,  in  swinmiing,  with  the  hostile  force 
of  the  changing  waves;  until,  at  last,  his  strength 
failing,  and  his  courage  almost  forsaking  him,  he 
made  a  vow  to  God  (but  wdiat  it  was  is  not  related) ; 
then,  striking  the  bottom  of  the  stream  ■with  his  foot, 


^"BoroiX  flaute  pevtinaciiis,  f(X!damq\ie  tempestatem,  quam  ex- 
ciero  gam  ceperat,  glomerante."  Literally,  perhaps,  "  the  north 
wind  blowing  more  ]>ersistently.  and  gathering  into  a  mass  the 
dark  storm  which  it  had  already  begun  to  collect." — Translator. 


^ 


APPENDIX. 


105 


he  reached  the  hank^  at  tliat  spot,  and,  forcing  his 
way  with  diiRcnlty  through  the  edge  of  the   stream, 
ah-eady  frozen,  lie   crept,  half  dead,  to  the  huinhle 
ahode  of  the  lathers.     Kestoratives  were  nuniediatcly 
ai>plied,  such  as  were  at  hand,  espeehilly  lire,  which 
wa^  most  needed ;  hut,  as  the   cold  weather  and  the 
Avater  had  almost  destroyed  the  natural  warmth,  he 
could  only  manifest  his  thoughts  for  some  time  hy 
motions  and  not  hy  speech,  and  so  kept  the  mmds  of 
the  anxious  fathers  in  douht  of  his  meaning;  until, 
recovering  his  speech,  ho  explained  what  had  hap- 
pened with  a  strong  expression  of    Xicolet's   Chris- 


tian courage.  ,      ,     ,  ^ 

"  The  prisoner  for  whose  sake  Kicolet  had  exposed 
himself  to  this  deadly  peril,  twelve  days  afterwards 
reached  SiUery,  and  soon  after  Quebec-having  been 
rescued  from  the  cruelty  of  the  Algonqums  by  Ru- 
pa^us  who  was  in  command  at  Three  Rivers,  m  pur- 
suance of  letters  from  Montmagny,  on  payment,  no 
doubt,  of  a  ransom.     He  was  already  distigured  with 
wounds,  great  numbers  of  which  these  most  savage 
men  had  inflicted  upon  him  with   careful   ingenuity, 
one  after  another,  accordhig  to  their  custom ;  but  in 
proportion  to  the  barbarity  which  he  had  experienced 
lit  Three  Ilivers  was  the  kindness  which  he  afterwards 
met  with    at    Quebec,  where   he  was  treated  by  the 
monks  of  the  hospital  in  such  u  manner  that  he  was 
healed  within  about  twenty  days,  and  was  able  to  re- 
turn to  his  own  people.     ...  ^ 

"  This, moreover, was noUhcf  •  t  occasion  on  which 

■T^,:,;7;;;;7^ri^;i;;3^^  u^^a,  not  of  the  dry  land, 

but  of  the  sloping  land  undei-  the  water,  near  the  edge  ot  the 
river. — Translator. 


7    ' 
i 

.  1 1 

ii 

[ 

1' 

■1 

'5 

fi'l 

*        1 

1        I 

1. 


^i^  ll 


If; 
I 


100 


APPENDIX. 


Nic'olet  had  eneoiintcred  peril  of  his  life  for  the 
safety  of  savages,  lie  had  frequently  done  the  very 
same  thing  before,  says  the  Freneh  writer;  and  to 
tliose  with  whom  he  associated  he  left  proofs  of  his 
virtues  by  sueh  deeds  as  could  hardly  be  expected  of 
a  man  entangled  in  the  bonds  of  marriage  ;  they  were 
indeed  eminent,  and  rose  to  the  height  of  apostolic 
perfection ;  and,  therefore,  was  the  loss  of  so  great  a 
man  the  more  grievous.  Certain  it  is  that  the  sav- 
ai»;es  themselves,  as  soon  as  thev  heard  what  had  be- 
fallen  him,  surrounded  the  bank  of  the  great  river  in 
crowds,  to  see  whether  they  could  render  any  aid. 
When  all  hope  of  that  was  gone,  tliey  did  what  alone 
remained  in  their  power,  by  incredible  manifestations 
of  grief  and  lamentation  at  the  sad  fate  of  the  man 
who  had  deserved  so  well  of  them." 


ii  I 


INDEX. 


Ali7.on,  M.,  9o.  100. 

Al.o.uiuins,  viii,  17,  ?.0,  42,  CO,  r.2,  (A  '^>;  '\'  »'; 

Algonquin,  of  the  Lies  de.  AUu.nette.,  18,  2b,  29,  46. 

AUuiu../,  FaU.er  CUuKlius,  04,  b7,  (.9 

A.nikoiiui,  '•  Nation  of  the  Beaver,    oO,  ol,  o4  .^^ 

.1.,  «.vo..^  ./  the  French  .etUaucnIs  en  Aurih  Amei         U  - 

A8eS8aonn-honon_(A.oat.l.aev.-honon),   Huron    na.ne    fo.    the^ 

\Vii\nebagoes,  45,  40,  (JU. 
A«sinU>oins,  not  visited  by  Nieoh't,  71. 
Atehiligoiian.  an  Algonquin  natum,  oO. 
Bay  ae!  rua.as  (Bale  des  PnaMtsl.     boc  O.een  Baj . 
Beavei-Nati.m,  45,4S,50,  51,o4,  (>3. 

Bonhonune,  Nicholas,  98. 

H,.eheuf,.Iohndo,20,'24,41,40lOO 

Buteux,  Father  James,  78.  80,  9;),  94,  90,  96,  9.. 

Cabot,  John,  viii,  ix. 

Cabot,  Sebastian,  ix. 

Caens,the,2l. 
Capitanal,aMontagnuisch.ef,9o. 

CartiiT,  James,  11,  12,  i;>,  14,  1<>-  38,51,52,53,54, 

Chan.plain's  Map  of  1632,  referred  to,  31,  oo,  oO,  .^      , 

62,64,66,70.  «urvev  of  the  St.  Lawrence, 

Champlain,  San.uel,  makes,   u.   ^  'O-^-  ^      "      ;  ^     j,,  i,09,  ib.; 

10;  in  1608,  ibunds  C^^jebec,  1' ^at  ad.        .  1;  -^^^^^  ^^_^  ^^ 

returns,  in   1610,  to  Inu.e    18^  u    K,'  ^=  .  ^  ^^.,     ^,,^^^  ,„„.., 
Luwrenco,  U.;  soon  sads  ^-\^^^^;        \,^  to  the  Isl« 

reaches  the  St.  Lawrence,  ./..  ^f'^'^      .^  .  j,,    iol5,    again 

aes    AlUnnette....;   ^^^  :;!j^'  J  i,;  •;,.;  attacks,  with 

sails  for  New  France,  19 ;  vi.  ts  the  ii  ,  ^^^^^^ 


I     • 


108 


INDEX. 


M 


'} 


;  I 


im; 


1*        ^ 


^f 


iM 


i 


1' 


next  yoiii- ho  siirrondcrs  llie  town,  v7;.;  tiikoii  a  prisoner  to  Eng- 
land,'Ji  ;  in  ](■,;;;•),  rusuuics  conniiiind  i!i  N(nv  Franci',  lb.;  rcsolvi's 
to  cxplnrt!  tli(!  west,  i/>.,-  in  lt'.:!t,  sends  M  icolet  to  tlio  Winni;- 
l)itL;(n's.  ;;'.»;  dcalli   oT  t'lianiplain,  "■'). 

Cliain|iiain's  Vojidjirs  of  lol:i,  citod,  30;  Voi/i'ffes  of  lGo2,  cited,  ;]('», 
;is,  .-)i,  .-)•_',  CI,  or.,  7;!. 

Cliai'lcvoix'  Cnrfr  (/r.-<  Litcs  da  Omuda,  referred  to,  ;j7  ;  also,  his 
Ad'H-rlle  I' rdiicc,  ih. 

C'iiaiiviii,  a  captain  of  tin;  French  marine,  lo. 

Ciicveiix  IJi'lcves  (Standinu;  Hair — Ottawas),  52,  GO,  54,  73. 

Cliippcwas,  :)y,  5:5,  54,  55,  'JO,  Ul. 

Cionx.     See  Sioux. 

Coliiinbus,  Cliristoplier,  viii. 

(\)nipaiiy  of  New  France,  '21. 

Copper  and  copper  mine  early  known  to  the  Indians,  36. 

Cortereal,  Cias})ar,  ix. 

Couillard,  (juilliium(>,  82. 

Couillard,  .Marguerite,  81,  84,  94,  98,  99,  100. 

CuKfcni's  dc  bois,  41. 

Cresse,  M.,  90. 

(,'revier,  Fran9;)is,  97. 

Daniel,  Antoinc;.  a  Jesuit  priest,  41,  80. 

J)akotas  (^l)acotalis. — Stn;  Sioux),  viii,  02,  71. 

Davost,  a  Jesuit,  41. 

Ue  Caen,  Emery,  20,  24,  32. 

De  Caen,  William,  20. 

l)e  Clianipfleur,  Francois,  98. 

])e  ("iiasteaufort,  Bras-de-fer,  75. 

De  Courtemanche,  Augustin  lo,  84. 

De  Gand,  Franc^ois  Derre,  82. 

Delaplaee,  Jticques,  94. 

De  Laubin,  M.,  90. 

De  la  Koclie,  the  Marquis,  15. 

De  la  lloque.  John  Francis,  see  Lord  of  Roberval. 

De  Malapart,  M.,  95. 

De  Maupertius,  M  ,  93, 

De  Kepentigny,  Jean-Baptiste  I'Gardeur,  84. 

Des  Uoches,  M.,  85,  88. 

Des  (iens  Puaiits  (D(;s  Gens  Puivns — Des  Puants — Des  Puans).  See 
VVinnebugoes. 


INDEX. 


100 


Dn  Croux'  ITlsi.  of  Canada  [Uhioria  Cauadcnds),  cited,  29,  GO,  100,  c^ 
Du  Cmix-  Map  of  lOGO,  referred  to,  51,  53,  55,  73- 

Esti4i'i^^»-.  ir"T-'^ """"  *•'  '''^' '  ^''^C' ; 

FiPo  I'afK.ns  (Les  Gens  de  Feu).     See  Ma.eout.ns. 

Foster's  Mississippi   Vallr,,,  e.ted,  51>. 

Fox  lliver  of  Green  Hay,  01,  01,  (,..,  iu,  08    ,0. 

C  Indians  (Outagan^is-Les  llenards-Musquak.es),  04,  Go,  00. 

Fur-trade,  the,  22.  ,      •.    i  o-  a-)   80-  ..ko  hh  Nutea 

Ferlands  C^.'s  .^'  Hi^t.ire  du  Cmada  ^^^^^^^^'^  l^'""^ 

sur  les  Reqisfres  de  Nofre-Dowe  de  qarbcr,  2.,  8     S.>. 
Gens  de  Mer  (oens  de  Eaux  de  Mer).     See  ^^  innebagoes. 
Godefroy,  Jean,  94,  95. 
Godefroy,  Louis,  95. 

82;  his  Map  by  -JoUi,  referred  to,  oo,  o\). 
Green  Bay,  50,  00,  02,  09,  70. 
Guitet,  a  notary,  records  of,  27,  82. 
Hubert.  Guilleme  82. 
llcberl,  Guilhuuet,  82. 
llortel,  Jacques,  99. 
Ilortel.  Kran(,'ois,  99. 
Iloroji  (  Ilocdiungara-Winnebagoes),  00. 

Huboust,  Guilbuime,  82.  ^  ^2, 

Hundred  Associates  (Hundred  Partners),  21,  22,  23,  24,  2.>,  31,  .^.), 4/, 

HurJni'n,  19,  21,  23,  30,  42,  43,  47,  48,  49,  51,  02.  03,  09,  70,  77,  102, 

103 

Hlinois  (Indians),  70. 

Iroquois,  17,18,20,29,38,44,51,70. 

Jesuits,  the,  08,  80,  85. 

Jesuit  Relations,  tl'<^".  ^^  -ip,o.-,__4i  40,  93;  1030-30.  45,  00, 

--^^:::-^-t^  1039-.0;   1.0-3S, 

i;  48    50,  51,   53,  5.;,  57,  02,  07,  OS,   09,   70,   -2    -.;  ^^l-«-; 

O42I53;  1013-20,27,28,  30,  47,  48,  49,  58,  00     2,  '^ '^^^^^ 

8^:85,  8G: 87, 88;  1018-38,53;  1054-38,09;  lOob-02,  -0,  lo-O 

—04,07,09;  1071—53,  50,  04. 

Joliot,  J^an,  90. 


I     1 

i 


i 


!  I 


I 


110 


INDEX. 


Jolict,  Louis,  08.  fiO,  96. 
Joqiics,  FaUuT  l^iiiu',  91,  07. 
.Iiu-hi'iTiUi,  Not"',  82. 

KniikimiiM,  town  of,  05. 

Kirk,  David,  23. 

Kickiipoos  (Kikabou,  Kikapou,  Quicapou,  Kiclvapoux,  Kicluipous, 
Kikapoux,  Quicpouz),  (j7. 

La  I?aye  (  La  Have  des  Eaux  Puantes— La  Grande  Baie— La  Bayc  dos 
Piians— Lay  Bayc  des  Puants).     Sec  Green  Bay. 

Lake  Miehigaii  (Lake  of  the  Illinois— Lake  St.  Joseph— Lake  Dau- 
phin—Lae  des  Illinois — Lac  Missihii^anin— Magnus  Lacus  Al- 
gonquinoruni),  55,  50,  CG,  G9,  70,  72. 

Lake  Superior,  54. 

Lake  Winnebago  (Lake  of  tbe  Puants— Lake  St.  Francis),  62,  05. 

Jax  ^larehand,  Jeanne,  00. 

La  Melee.  Christopher  Crevier,  Sieur  de,  07. 

]^a  Mer,  Alarguerite,  27. 

La  ]Mer,  Maria,  27. 

La  Nation  des  Puans  (La  Nation  des  Puants).    See  Winnebagoes. 

La  Noue,  Annie  de,  24,  4L 

La  Porte,  Pierre  de,  82. 

La  Vallee,  Claude,  90. 

Lavidiere's  licpruii  of  Chnwplains  Works,  referred  to,  30.       \ 

Le  Caron,  Fatber  Joseph,  19,  20. 

Les  Folles  Avoine.     See  Menomonees. 

Le  Jeune,  Paul,  24,  41,  80. 

1^6  Ncuf,  family  of,  04. 

Le  Neuf,  Maria  01,  Of..  98. 

Le  Tardif,  Olivier,  82,  8:5,  84,  103. 

Lord  of  Roberval,  14,  15. 

Lippincott's  Onzcffcn;  cited,  33. 

^Mackinaw,  Straits  of,  55. 

Maeurd,  Nicolas,  84,  100. 

Manitoulin  Islands,  50,  51. 

]\Iantouo  (Mantoueouee— Makoucoue),  tribe  of,  56. 

Marguerie,  Fran(,'ois,  95,  99. 

Marguerie,  Maria,  99. 

]Margry,  Pierre,  in  Jo?,  nal  Oimralde  C ItiKfvKciion  Pitbliquc,2^,  72,84. 

.Marquette,  Father  James,  08,  09. 

Marsolet,  Nicolas,  84,  100. 

Mascoutins   CMaooutins— Mascoutens— Maskoutens    -  ^Liskouteins— 


I 


■I 


INDEX, 


111 


■'[ 


Musquetens-Muchkoutens-MHskoutcnch-Mac'bkoutonclv-Lcs 

Gens  de  Foil— The  Fire  Nation— As*^i>^tagUL'i-onoiis—AssisUiehro- 

nons),  51,  52,  m.  G4,  05,  CO,  07,  08,  09,  70. 

Masse,  the  Jesuit,  41.  .     ,   .,   .^ 

Menomonees  (Maromiiie-Malhominies-Les  Folles  Avo.ne),  5-,  o8. 

;Miamis,  07. 

.Michigan,  signification  of  the  word,  05. 

Mississippi,  meaning  of  the  word,  07. 

Montniagnais,  oO,  41. 

Montnuigny,  M.  de,  70,  75,  70,  77,  105. 

Nantoue.     See  Mantouc.  .  „  .   ,      ,  .      ^ 

Nation  des  Puans  (Nation  des  Puants-Nation  of  Stinkards).    See 

Winnebagoos. 
Nation  du  Ca;tor  (Nation  of  Beavers).     See  Beaver  Nation. 
Nation  of  the  Sault.     S(^e  Chipi)ewas. 
Nenascoumat,  an  Indian  chief,  ".l5. 
Neutral  Nation,  51,  01,  05. 

Nez  Perccs  (Nai/.  porcejc).     See  Beaver  Nation. 
Nieolet,  GiUes,  88,  8'J. 

Nicolet,  John,  arrives  in  New  .France,  20;  sent  hy  Champla.n,  m 
1018,  to  the  Algonquins  of  Isl.  dcs   AUinnettes,  28;  goes  on  a 
,ni-ion  of  peace  to  the  Iroquois,  2!» ;  takes  up  his  residcnc-e  with 
the  Nipissings,  i/..;  recalled  by  the  government  to  Quebec,  .50; 
employed  as'^interp'-eter,  ih.;  Cha.nplain  resolves  to  send  him  on 
a  western   exploration,  .Sr. ;  Nieolet  had  heard  of  the  Winneba- 
goes,  30;  prepares,  in  June,  lOlU  to  visit  this  and  other  nat.o.is 
40;  starts  upon  his  journey,  42;  why  it  must  have  been  m  U.o4 
that   Nicolet  made  his  westward  exploration, //;.,  r/ m/. ;  travels 
u  .  the  Ottawa  to  the  Isle  des  AUumettes,  40;  goes  hence  to  the 
Huron  villages,  47 ;  object  of  his  mission  there,  48;  starts  for  the 
Winnebau..es,   49;    reaches  Sault  Sainte   Marie,  51;    did  he  see. 
Lake  Su,>;.rior?  54;  discovers  Lake  Michigan,  55;  arrivt-s  at  the 
Menomonee  river,  50;  ascends  CJreen  liay  to  thehomes  of  the  ^^  in- 
„.ba.n.es,00;  has  a  great  feast  with  the  Indians,  02;  goes  up  Iu,x 
river^o  the  Mascoutins,  03;  visits  the  Illinois  tribe,  71  ;  returns  to 
the  AVinnebagoes,  ib.;  Nicolefs  homeward  trip  in  103.j-he  calls 
upon  the  Pottawattainies,  72  ;  stops  at  the  Gr.'at  M  anatoul.n  to  see 
a  band  of  Ottawas,  73 ;  reaches  the  St.  Lawrence  in  safety  /4;  set- 
ties  atThree  F'-ers  as  interpreter,  77  ;  his  kindness  to  the  Indians, 
78-  ha«  a  narrow  escape  from  drowning.  81  ;  helps  defcna  1  hree 
Rivers  from  an    Iroquois   attack,  ;/).;  his  marriage.  .^  ;  goes  to 


112 


INDEX. 


! 


i'   v  ■ 


'I'l 


Qiicboc,  82  ;  bocdtnof?  (Jciiornl  Coniniisstiry  of  the  Iliinrlrod  Part- 
iicrs,  i/>.;  fHibiirUs  lor  TliriM!  JiivtMvs,  8:5;  hisdoatli,  84;  Freiitlitiioii 
and  Indians  aliU*'  mourn  liis  fate,  87;  liis  nicinoiy  perpetuated,  SO; 
his<'ner!j;etie  eliaractor,  UO;  mention  of  liini  in  the  parish  register 
of  Three  lliver.-J,  03,  r^  ayy/.  ,-  first  coniiectod  skuteh  published  of 
liis  life  and  exploration,  100,  ei  scq. 

Nieolet,  ^ladame,  05.  Oij. 

>;ieolet,  Pierre,  80. 

Nieolet,  Thomas,  27. 

Nipissings  (Nipisiriniens),  20,  30,  31,  43,  47. 

Nofjuets,  50. 

O'Callaghan's  Dor.  Ilist.  of  New  York,  referred  to,  30;  his  N.  Y.  Col. 
Doc,  eited,  51. 

Ojibwas.     See  Chippewas. 

Ottawa?,  50,  52,  54,  05,  00,  73. 

"Ounipeg,"  signification  of,  38. 

Ounipigiiu.     See  "Winnegagoes. 

Oumalouminelc  (()umaomini(!Cs),     See  ^Icinornonees. 

Otcliagras  (Ocliungarand).     See  "NVinnebagoes. 

Otehipwes.     See  Chippewas. 

Ouasouarim,  50. 

Oumisagai,  51,  54. 

Outehougai,  50. 

Ontaouan.     See  Ottawas. 

Parkman's  Jt^miffi  hi  Norfh  ^wrrvV^/,  eited.  41,  43,  40,  80;  also,  his  La 
Scilli'  and  the  Di.fcorrry  of  ilie  (irmi  Wrni,  38,  58 ;  and  his  P'lo- 
nexvH  of  France  tn.  fhr  Ann   Woii'/^  52. 

"People  of  the  Falls."     See  Chippewas. 

"People  of  the  Sea."     See  Winnebagoes. 

Perot,  Nicolas,  84. 

Petun  Nation,  51,  52. 

Pijart,  Claudius,  00. 

Poncet,  Josephus,  08,  00. 

Pontgrave,  merchant,  15. 

Pottawattamies,  71. 

Quentin,  Father  Claude,  77,  78,  79,  93. 

llacine,  Claude,  82. 

Kacine,  Kttenne,  82. 

Earatwaus.     See  Ciiippewas. 

Pvaynibault,  Father  Charles,  83,  80,  91,  97,  101. 

Richelieu,  Cardinal.  21  • 


INDFX. 


11:; 


Uivor  (los  Puans  (KInov  ol'  the  ruunts-llivr  Si.  Knuioi.).    t3fc  Fox 

rivor. 
RoUet,  Miirio,  82. 
Ro(iuai.     See  Noqucts. 
Sacs  (Sauks  -SaiiUi— ^^akys),  64. 
Sagards  JIis/„)ur  (In  (Jinni'/a,  cited,  38. 
Sauteurs  (Stiagisj;r«'>'ii(').     Sc(?  Cliijipewas. 
Saiilt  de  Sainte  Marie,  51. 
Saiilt  Sainte  Marie,  t(»wu  of,  51,  72,  1>7. 
Savigny  (Cluivi-ny),  8:5,  84,85,  H.1,  101. 
SehookTalVs  77,.V/y  inns  wifh  ihr  Indian  Tribes,  cited,  50. 
"Sea-Tribe."     See  Wiiuiebagoes. 

Sheas  a,</.o//.  il/m/o..,  eite,l,  5^;  also,  his  DUron^ry  <nul   h.,l.ra. 
Hon  of  ike  ^Mi..i.sippi  Valln,  ;)8,  45,  5.,  0:5,  100;  and   In.  Wn- 

ru'jiln,  <»7. 
Shea,  John  (Jilinary,  in  Wis.  W>^1.  Sue.  GAL,  >',). 
Sillery,  mission  of,  founded,  7t',. 
Sioux  (Dacotas),  o7,  <J2,  71. 
St.  Croix  Fort,  established,  :12. 
Smith's  JIisf„n/  «J    Wisconsin,  cited,  27,  38,  73. 
Standing  Hair,  the.     See  Ottawas. 
Suite,  IJenjaniin,  in  UOplniun  Puhlique,  <'.8,  00. 

Suite's  Clu-oni.,ne  Trijlunennc,  cite.l,  :^1;  also,  h.s  Mdany.s  de  Ih.fo- 
ric  rt  dr  Liffh-iifinr,  4;»,  84,  80. 

.The  M.n  of  the  Sliallow  Cataract."     See  Cly'PF^vJJS. 

Three  Hi  vers,  town  of,  31,  32,  3:^,  42,  45,  74,  7-,  .8,  -0,  82,  8.,,  80,  10.. 

Three  Rivers,  parish  church  register  of,  44,  4o,  03,  e(  scj. 

Tobacco  Nation.     See  Petun  Nation. 

Verraxzano,  John,  ix.  . 

Winnebagoes,  viii,  37,  38,  30,  42,  43,  44,  45,  40,  48,  40,  50,  o7,  .8,  CO. 
01,  02,0:^,04,71,  72,74,77. 

Wisconsin,  derivation  of  the  word,  59 

Wisconsin  river,  50,  01,  08.  , 

Woolf  river,  05,  GO. 

Woodman,  Cyrus,  27. 


